Mask of Lies
by azuremiko
Summary: In a call for duty, Tomoyo, princess of Japan, is sent as a peace treaty with a neighboring country, offering herself in marriage to the emperor, Eriol. But what if Tomoyo isn't a princess at all but an assassin? Will her feelings conflict with her duty?
1. The Beginning of a Beginning

**PLEASE READ AUTHOR'S NOTES!**

I am back, yet again, with another random eriolXtomoyo fic. Myu... (that means I'm juggling _three _fics! Oh me oh my... I need to get a life...) first off I need to make clear that this is a **"as-inspiration-comes" **fic since I got this random idea to write this and I'm still a lil unclear as to where this will take me. I will also see how well this story does (in terms of people telling me if this idea completely sucks or something) and go from there. I got some of the inspiration from the movie "Hero" (has anyone seen that?) so you'll see some similarities. –thinks– prolly not too much tho, cuz knowing me, I'll just veer off into my own little world. –rolls eyes– typico.

**I don't plan for this to be historically correct. Again, this is my randomness that's allowing me to make up whatever the hell I want. BUT– if you have any historical tidbits that you think would go nicely in here, feel free to suggest it!**

As always, **I LOVE COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS! PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK SO I CAN MAKE THIS FIC AS GOOD AS MY WRITING ABILITIES WILL POSSIBLY ALLOW! THANKIES!**

Disclaimer: this is the first and last time I will say this so please hold this clear in your minds– **THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL I COULD _EVER EVER_ OWN CCS. (TO MY GREATEST DISMAY) IT BELONGS TO THE WONDERFUL MASTERMINDS OF CLAMP. **end of story.

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CHAPTER ONE: The Beginning of a Beginning

Snow fell lightly to the ground. All was quiet for there was no whisper of the wind. But there was an exception; the slight crunch of one stepping through deep snow. Despite this, everything else was silent and delicate. The sky was stamped by streams of clouds, only allowing bits of grey-blue of the sky through.

A young woman was slowly making her way through the white forest of bare trees. She walked straight, un-wavered by the cold. Her footsteps were light. She looked straight ahead and focused only on what lay ahead. Her brilliant lavender eyes never shifted.

Her dark purple hair fell past her waist and was currently let loose. The woman made the simple, dark lilac kimono she wore look as if it were the most extravagant garment of clothing ever made. The snow that landed on her fair, pale skin melted slowly.

As she came closer to her destination, Tomoyo walked even more slowly. Out of habit, she tucked a loose strand of her long hair behind her ear. She felt her chest tighten and Tomoyo clenched a hand to her heart. For the first time during this walk, she stopped. She shut her eyes tightly as she turned her head to the side. She willed the pain in her heart to go away.

Breathing deeply and mentally coaching herself, Tomoyo resumed walking. Not too long after this, Tomoyo reached a clearing.

In the clearing was another bare tree. Because it was winter, it's beautiful blossoms were not there to grace the beauty of the snow.

Tomoyo smiled softly upon seeing the tree. Her smile was slightly pained but nonetheless, walked in closer.

Plum blossoms. Her mother's favorite.

Kneeling at the base of the tree, Tomoyo placed a hand on the tree.

"D'you know what day today is, Okaa-san?" she whispered.

Tomoyo paused. Then she chuckled. "Of course you do. It's my 19th birthday. Do I seem any different?"

Again pausing, Tomoyo looked at her lap. A slight frown appeared on her beautiful face. She looked back up to the body of the tree. She leaned her head against it, as if it were someone's shoulder. It _was_ someone's shoulder; Tomoyo's mother's.

Tomoyo sat there in silence. She didn't notice that the snow had stopped falling.

Minutes had gone by, maybe an hour at the most when Tomoyo finally stood. Again, a hand was clenched against her chest. She turned and started to walk away.

Then she stopped before she reentered the forest. Tomoyo looked back at the nameless grave.

"Sayounara, Okaa-san. I promise I'll return..."

And with that, Tomoyo headed back into the forest.

The snow started to fall again.

As Tomoyo drew closer to her home, she saw that a carriage was waiting. She sighed and continued to trudge on. She took her time but could see that her trunks were being loaded onto the carriage.

"Tomoyo-chan!" a voice called.

Tomoyo couldn't help but break out into a smile.

"Sakura-chan!" she called back. She waved towards the spot of pink amongst the white and quickened her pace. Tomoyo was glad that Sakura was always noticeable in her trademark pink kimonos.

"What took you so long?" Sakura called, hurrying towards Tomoyo.

'_I had to visit Okaa-san,' _Tomoyo thought. She only just started to notice the cold.

"I was so worried!"

'_Don't be...'_

When the two met, Sakura threw a blanket around Tomoyo's shoulders.

"You look so cold! And I have good news!"

Tomoyo laughed at her friend's enthusiasm. "Nani?"

"I'm coming with you!"

Tomoyo's laughter instantly died. Her face become grim and serious. The blanket around her shoulders dropped to the bed of snow.

"I'm doing this alone." '_You can't come. I'm doing this alone. Alone is what I'll always be...'_

"Not according to Kaho-sama!" Sakura chirped, as if she didn't notice Tomoyo's seriousness. "Besides, you'll need company!"

"This isn't a light matter," Tomoyo said, her eyes drilling into Sakura.

Sakura noticed Tomoyo's look. Sakura dropped her smile. "Tomoyo-chan, you'll be away all by yourself in a foreign country. This is completely new. Please let me accompany you," she said in a quiet voice.

Tomoyo looked down. Before she could even say anything, Kaho approached the pair. She too had a blanket wrapped around her, underneath her blanket of thick, strawberry blond hair.

"Mizuki-sama," Tomoyo said, bowing her head.

"Such formality!" Kaho laughed lightly. She lifted Tomoyo's chin with the tip of her finger. Her laughing eyes faded. "Are you ready?"

Tomoyo didn't respond. After a moment silence, she said, "Is it true that Sakura-chan will be coming?"

Nodding, Kaho opened her mouth to speak when–

"I absolutely forbid her to go!" Touya came thundering from behind the carriage. "She isn't–"

"QUIET!" Kaho snapped.

The three snapped to attention, their spines suddenly rigid.

"We will not talk of this anymore. Sakura is Tomoyo's handmaiden and therefore will accompany her on this journey."

Kaho turned to leave but paused. She looked slightly back at Tomoyo. Her eyes were sad but there was a glimmer of what seemed to be hope. "I wish for you to return for the next winter, if not earlier. I bid you farewell."

When Kaho was gone, the other three were still standing straight as boards. Finally, Sakura was the first to react.

"I'll get the rest of my luggage," she said quietly. She glanced at Tomoyo for a second and then turned away.

Once Sakura was gone, Touya groaned.

"I cannot believe it. Kaho has got to be insane. She is sending my little sister– that kaijuu!– out to a foreign country without even telling me until today! Dammit dammit dammit!"

Tomoyo continued to stand in a daze. Touya stepped closer to Tomoyo.

"Tomoyo? You okay?"

Tomoyo's knees simply gave way and she found herself sitting in the snow again.

"Why...? Why is this happening...?" she whispered, still staring ahead.

Touya's eyes softened. He ran his free hand through his messy dark brown hair before crouching in front of Tomoyo.

"I'm scared, Touya..." Tomoyo whispered, finally linking her eyes with Touya's.

"I know. I know, Tomoyo."

And with this, Tomoyo collapsed into silent sobs. Touya held her against his chest, letting her tears soak his chest.

"I can't do this. And Sakura-chan is coming... I can't do this..." Tomoyo hiccuped through her tears. "I can't... I can't..."

"Shh shh..." Touya comforted. He rubbed Tomoyo's back, hoping to make her feel better.

As Tomoyo's sobs and tears finally subsided, she looked up at Touya. He wasn't surprised to see that she looked just as beautiful as she normally was, even all teary.

"I–"

Touya shook his head, causing Tomoyo to stop speaking. He reached behind him to grasp what he had been carrying with his other hand earlier. He brought it around and laid it across Tomoyo's hands.

It was a long slender package wrapped in black silk. It was the length of Tomoyo's arm, maybe a little longer. The package was a little lumpy in the middle but nonetheless, Tomoyo grasped it tightly.

Searching her eyes, Touya couldn't restrain the tears that formed in his own eyes. He grabbed Tomoyo and held her.

"Please... look after Sakura and let her look after you."

Tomoyo had to try extremely hard not to burst into tears again. She wasn't even sure if Touya himself was crying. She swallowed hard and nodded.

"I will," she forced herself to say as normally as she could. Instead, inside she was screaming. _'No! No! Make her stay, Touya! Make her _stay_!'_

Standing up, Touya offered his hand to Tomoyo. She accepted and cradling her package in one arm, she stood tall.

"Make us proud..._Tomoyo-hime_."

Tomoyo merely nodded. She slowly walked to the carriage and sat in it until it carried her away. She didn't look back. She never did.

'_I must succeed. I _must_. They're counting on me. My country's counting on me... it's my job to make this work. It's my job..._

_It's just another job.'_

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_hime_– princess

okies. Before you get all "what the hell just happened" on me, I will reassure you that more of this confusing story will come together in the next chappi. I just wanted this chappi to more of tomoyo's serious bit and fragmented pieces of what's happening and what's to come.

I won't say anymore or else I get the feeling I'm gonna be totally tortured by some of you –winces– but what I would _really_ like is some feedbac! –smiles– I love feedbac...

So clicky that review button and lemme know if I should just stop while I'm at it or go on!


	2. Simple Transformation

Wow... I'm totally not liking this new format that fanfiction has set up– it's so confusing! It took me the longest time how to figure out how to upload a new chappi last time! Plus, it's not really making me happy... where are those '...' that I put! Huh? Huh huh huh! That's so annoying! (I had to replace them with '– – –' gaaaaah!) Anyways!–

thankies to those who left me some feedback! –hugs–

and I love the idea of Tomoyo being an assassin too! Somehow I find that she'd be perfect for that cuz she's quiet and more reserved... and it kinda comes as a surprise... and why let sakura have all the fun? –grins–

Shadow Elf Sofi: heh heh... sorries but I don't plan on letting out what touya gave tomoyo anytime soon... unless you can figure it out yourself! I'll keep ya in suspense –smiles–

Maru-chan: I'm glad to hear that you don't want this to be "as-inspiration-comes" fic but it'll prolly stay that way for the time being. But I promise I'll do my best and try to let my inspiration kick in as much as possible!

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CHAPTER TWO: Simple Transformation

As the horse trotted through the thickening snow, Tomoyo kept her eyes focused on the winter wonderland that was building outside. She had droned out the heavy bells on the horse reins and wasn't entirely sure on what she was thinking.

Her whole entire head was in jumbles.

The package Touya had given her was sitting across her lap. She hadn't opened it and did not feel the need to; she knew what was in there.

Honestly, she didn't _want_ to open the package. She dreaded looking at them if there was no need to. So the long slender package simply sat on Tomoyo's lap, slithering about every now and then, due to the silk. Her lap was cold because of it; even with the bundles and bundles of blankets layered on her, her lap was just as cold as the snow outside.

Tomoyo and Sakura had been sitting in the carriage for about half an hour. It would take another hour until they reached the coast.

During the trip so far, neither had spoken. Tomoyo was engrossed in the ever so fascinating white outside while Sakura stared out her window. Tomoyo was sure she knew why there was this silence between her and her best friend. Tomoyo clenched her eyes shut thinking about this. She felt a little guilty for making Sakura seem awkward around her (for the moment, at least) but Tomoyo wasn't about to go back on her feelings; she wanted Sakura as far away from her as possible.

As though she could read Tomoyo's mind, Sakura said quietly, "Don't you think it would be odd for female royalty not to be accompanied by at least _one_ handmaiden?"

Tomoyo opened her mouth to reply but realized Sakura had a point. Instead, she smiled slightly and turned to face the window again.

"So...um...did Onii-chan say anything?"

Touya's words came back to Tomoyo. _Please... look after Sakura and let her look after you..._

Tomoyo simply smiled again. "You know he's a man of few words."

Giggling, Sakura brought her blankets closer to her chest. "No really– what did he say?"

Slightly hesitating, Tomoyo said, "He said good luck. That's all."

Tomoyo again thought about Touya. He _was _a man of few words; at least, before Tomoyo embarked on every mission of hers. He never said much then. Sometimes, he would merely nod and leave.

Touya was like a brother to Tomoyo and he had taught her so much–

"We're here, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura's voice said, interrupting Tomoyo's thoughts.

Tomoyo peeked at the window and was surprised to see that night had practically fallen.

'_Was I really lost in my thoughts for _that_ long?' _Tomoyo wondered. She wasn't really surprised; her memories of Touya could be traced back as far as she could remember.

Outside, Tomoyo could hear the luggage shifting as they were unloaded onto the ground.

"You can just change on the ship as we near the other side," Sakura said quietly. She gathered her blanket around her and stepped out into the cold.

Still, Tomoyo didn't move. She stared at the empty spot across from her. Unconsciously, she was mentally coaching herself how to breathe.

"Tomoyo-san?"

Tomoyo nearly jumped in her seat, letting her package slid to carriage bottom with a 'clank'.

"H-hai," Tomoyo stuttered as she grabbed at her silk package and clutched it.

"It's time," the girl outside the carriage said.

"R-right. Arigatou, Chiharu-san."

The girl with curly pigtails merely gave her a small smile and disappeared from the door window.

Taking deep breaths, Tomoyo also gathered her blankets, her package hidden underneath the pile and finally stepped out into the dark.

It had stopped snowing and the fresh powder on the ground sank silently as Tomoyo had stepped down from the carriage.

Her heart was pounding against her chest again. Tomoyo nearly winced as she felt the pain but her face remained straight. Just like she was trained to do. Born to do.

She knew why she was nervous, yet she did not understand. It was a mix of understanding and curiosity.

This was probably the most complicated and longest job ever assigned.

But it was just another job, therefore it should have been easy.

For Tomoyo, at least.

Nearly shoving her thoughts off the edge, Tomoyo walked towards the shadows along the dock, not feeling the cold creeping up her back.

"Tomoyo!" a voice cried. A person that was standing at the ship's side leapt onto the boardwalk and ran towards Tomoyo.

Tomoyo smiled and waved. "Yamazaki-kun!" she called back.

Yamazaki came to a skidding stop in front of Tomoyo (spraying her with snow) and gave her a warm hug, pressing Touya's package hard into Tomoyo's chest. Yamazaki also felt it press into his own chest and immediately let go of Tomoyo.

Yamazaki's bright face fell into a frown. "Ah... g-gomen."

Tomoyo shook her head and smiled. "It's been such a long time, Yamazaki-kun."

A smile reappeared on Yamazaki's face. He held out his hand and Tomoyo handed her blankets to him.

"Too long, Tomoyo. But I can understand why; Kaho-sama and the mainland network must have been planning for a long time."

Nodding, Tomoyo cradled her package in her arms and started walking towards the ship.

"And how are the coastline networks?" Tomoyo asked quietly. Her vision was set forward at the ship; she never turned to look at Yamazaki.

Yamazaki, who was also staring forward, shook his head, letting snow fly from his messy black hair. "Fine. Nothing new for the time being."

"...the fighting stopped?"

Yamazaki hesitated before answering. "For the time being. After all, we sent news of your arrival..."

There was no answer from Tomoyo as she stopped at the board of the ship. She turned to face Yamazaki.

He could see that her eyes were set in stone, making her expression hard to read. Instead, Yamazaki shot her a grin.

"Y'know, I _did_ hear that the Emperor of China has a live panther and it eats whoever displeases the Emperor and the panther is allergic to sweets and when it _does_ eat sweets–"

"YAMAZAKIIII!" roared a voice. In an instant, Chiharu was there, holding Yamazaki in a headlock. "Stop telling those goddamn lies!"

Tomoyo laughed as she watched Yamazaki's grinning face turn blue as Chiharu lectured Yamazaki on the consequences of those who lied.

After a simple exchange of 'goodbyes', Tomoyo boarded the ship and went directly to her cabin.

She never looked back. And no one ever expected her to.

– – –

"_Ano... Kinomoto-sama?"_

"_Touya, Tomoyo. It's Touya," he said as he twisted around to look at the little girl tugging at his hakama._

_The little girl blushed slightly. She bowed her head even more, making her long hair shadow her face."Touya..._ _ano..."_

_Touya couldn't help smiling. He knelt down and brushed aside the girl's hair. "Nani, Tomoyo?"_

_The girl's grip on Touya's black hakama tightened as her cheeks turned even more pink._

"_Can you... I mean, will you..." Tomoyo squeaked. This time, Tomoyo's cherub face exploded into a massive red tomato and she hid her face in Touya's hakama._

_Touya laughed and picked up Tomoyo, sitting her on his knee._

"_Alrighty, you crazy kid you. What is it?"_

_Tomoyo merely pointed. Touya followed Tomoyo's point. His breath did a slight take and his eyebrows furrowed the slightest bit._

"_Will you teach me?" Tomoyo whispered._

_Touya didn't answer as he watched a pair duel– each holding long thin swords. Each time the swords made contact with each other, it made a sharp chime, just like a bell._

_Regaining his senses, Touya turned back to Tomoyo and smiled. _

"_Of course I will."_

– – –

KNOCK KNOCK!

Tomoyo sat up in bed with a gasp.

"Tomoyo-chan?" came Sakura's voice.

"Come in!" Tomoyo said as soon as she found her voice. She grabbed the pitcher of water next to her be and poured herself a full glass.

The door opened as Tomoyo took a huge gulp. Sakura went to the curtains and pushed them open, letting sunlight spill into the cabin.

"Sakura-chaaaan!" Tomoyo wailed as she was momentarily blinded. "Will you stop it? I can open the curtains myself!"

Sakura giggled and set down the tray of food next to Tomoyo. Tomoyo grumbled and rubbed her eyes.

"I'm only trying to fill the part!"

"And doing a damn well job of it," Tomoyo mumbled.

"Don't be such a killjoy, Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura said cheerfully. "After all, we need to be convincing, don't we?"

Tomoyo was about to tell Sakura not to joke about it but she stopped herself; she very well knew that Sakura was only trying to make things lighthearted and that she _did_ take the job seriously. So instead, Tomoyo managed a smile and started her breakfast.

"What puts you in such a good mood, by the way?" Tomoyo asked as she munched through her rice.

"We're almost there. Off the coast, in fact."

"Nani! _That_ soon!" Tomoyo cried.

Sakura laughed as she got off Tomoyo's bed and went to Tomoyo's chest of clothes.

"Well, you've been sleeping quite a bit... but it just so happens that the weather was clear. Smooth sailing, that's all."

Tomoyo trudged out of bed and looked out the window. She squinted and tried to focus her eyes along the edge of the sea.

"Erm... is it just me or is that land?"

"It's not just you!" Sakura chirped. "I _told _you we were off the coast! Which is why you need to get dressed!"

"Why didn't you wake me up sooner!" Tomoyo cried. She started scrambling about her cabin, knocking into things. Sakura stood at her spot, watching Tomoyo tumble around.

"Tomoyo-chan?"

"Oh no oh no!" Tomoyo cried to herself. She started rummaging through her numerous chests, throwing out clothes and ornaments. "I can't find it! Mizuki-sama is gonna kill me!"

Sakura blinked and tried again. "Tomoyo-chan?"

"Not right now, Sakura-chan– I can't find that kimono–"

As Tomoyo was about to overturn her nightstand, she whirled around to see Sakura holding the very kimono she was looking for.

"Oh..."

"We should be reaching shore in a little while. I think we'll have more than enough time to get you prepped up." Sakura held the kimono out, letting it tumble out of it's folds.

Tomoyo merely nodded.

About ten minutes went by as Sakura helped Tomoyo dress. Once she was done, Sakura stepped back and admired her work.

"So... how do I look?" Tomoyo asked, almost hesitantly. She bit the corner of her lip.

Sakura smiled, letting her emerald eyes crinkle. "Beautiful."

As Tomoyo turned to look at herself in her full length mirror, Sakura silently slipped out and closed the door behind her.

Tomoyo wore an intricately designed kimono– the base color was a deep purple but as the garment neared the upper torso, the purple faded into lighter shades. The designs were woven into the cloth, outlined in silver thread. The pattern wasn't so busy that it was overwhelming to look at, but delicate and easy on the eyes. Here and there were outlines of cranes and leaves. The obi around Tomoyo's waist was tied tightly and kept warmth around her mid-section. It was white with more silver threads running through the length of it, designs flowing in and out. And lastly, a simple ornamental sat near the back of Tomoyo's head. It held the two loose front section of Tomoyo's hair in it's intricate knot that Sakura had tied. The headpiece was made of silver and simply resembled two chopsticks crossed as an 'x'. At the top ends of each silver stick were a small trail of beads, each with a crescent moon at the end. The remainder of Tomoyo's hair was left as it was; done and slightly curly near the ends.

Knock knock.

"Come in," Tomoyo said quietly.

Sakura reentered the room, also changed. She wore a pale pink kimono with patterns of cherry blossoms and her shoulder length auburn hair was left as is.

"We're at the bay."

Without replying, Tomoyo nodded and without another word, Sakura left.

Tomoyo turned away from the mirror and went to her bed. She shed off the covers and stared at the slender package.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Grabbing the package firmly, Tomoyo went to one of her chests and opened the very bottom– the secret compartment. Sliding the package in, Tomoyo didn't think twice as she snapped the tiny door shut.

– – –

As the ship was docked and as Tomoyo took her first step onto foreign soil, seeing the crowd that had arrived to greet her, Sakura, who was standing offside Tomoyo, whispered–

"Welcome to China, Tomoyo-hime."

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all I hafta say is that I hope all that rambling above wasn't boring. Please leave suggestions and opinions as usual! Thankies!


	3. Informal Greetings

**IF IT FLOATS YOUR BOAT, YOU CAN SKIP ALL THE STUFF IN PLAIN TXT BELOW– BUT PLEASE READ THE BOLD PRINT– AS ALWAYS!** **_AND PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE CHECK OUT THE NOTE THAT I'VE LEFT AT THE VERY END OF THE STORY!_**

–laughs– yes yes, I know everyone's been long awaiting eriol's arrival... no worries everyone. I wouldn't torture you for _that_ long!

Thanks to all that read and reviewed! –hugs– and I have some responses to some of you...

Pandora-chan: you get that temptation to draw too, huh? –laughs– me too! Last night, I couldn't help doing this sketch of tomoyo in this outfit that I planned for some other chappi– but eh, my drawing skills aren't that great. Maybe I'll hafta post it up and see what you think, huh? And I totally think you should draw it! If anyone's talent in fanart is lacking, it would be me! –laughs– and I recall that you're also a painter (mentioned in a review to smudged love)... anyways, thanks a lot for reading!

MAruchan: aiyaaa! What possessed you to re-read coffee stains! Oh my... _that_ deffy was an obvious debut of a newbie writer! –laughs– thanks! I hope my inspiration goes on full mode too!

cristal-shian: hime means princess. So essentially, tomoyo is being called, well, princess tomoyo! Which reminds me (see below)... and thankies for your support!

**If I happen to throw in some japanese or something, most likely (if it's something I _know_ you won't know) I'll have it translated at the very bottom of the chappi. You can just find it there if you dunno what a word means.**

**I've gotten quite a few comments about what was going on between touya and tomoyo, especially in that flashback (or dream) that tomoyo had last chapter– this is what I hafta say: Never fear– tomoyo's just hella close to touya, tha's all.**

**AND THIS IS IMPORTANT! (to me at least...): THIS WILL BE MY LAST UPDATE FOR THE TIME BEING; I'LL BE AWAY ON A TRIP TO TAIWAN FOR A MONTH BUT PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE STAY WITH ME! I KNOW I'LL DEFFY BE SCHEMING UP MORE IDEAS SO ONCE I GET BAC, I'LL BE BAC TO WRITING! SO PLEASE HAVE PATIENCE AND WAIT FOR ME! THANKIES!**

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CHAPTER THREE: Informal Greetings

Not noticing the bumpy ride, Tomoyo stared ahead at the opposing wall of the carriage. The beads of Tomoyo's headdress occasionally bumped into her head. Sakura sat in another carriage with all of Tomoyo's belongings, riding behind.

Tomoyo had to admit, she had been fairly surprised at how many people from the town had come to greet her. In fact, it was almost as if it was a celebration.

Tomoyo smiled grimly; she could understand the people's enthusiasm. The war between Japan and China had gone on long enough.

But still, Tomoyo was surprised as she saw the crowd cheer as she stepped off the ship and how many gifts were pushed into her hand (which she politely refused). Little children huddled along the path that Tomoyo walked to her carriage. They shyly eyed her and a little boy no older than ten had handed her a tiny bouquet of flowers.

The flowers lay across her lap as Tomoyo traveled to the place. She didn't recognize them but appreciated them nonetheless.

The windows of the carriage were veiled by delicately sewn curtains. Tomoyo didn't bother to push them back.

To her surprise, the mainland didn't seem as cold as the harsh winter of Japan. When Tomoyo had stepped into China, she could see that the snow that _had _fallen was well on it's way to being puddles of water.

Still, Tomoyo didn't blink as the carriage ran over the rocky bits of land, making her sway in her seat; her mind was already preoccupied.

– – –

Upon arrival of the palace, Tomoyo was breath taken.

'What _the hell were they thinking, building all these steps!' _she mentally screamed. But as usual, her face showed no expression as she trekked down the long path to meet 'the steps of doom'.

"Wanna bet how many stairs?" Sakura whispered offside Tomoyo.

Though Tomoyo made no noise, the corner of her mouth turned up.

If the palace walls weren't tall enough, it was possible that the mounting steps could claim the record. Behind the huge gate and behind the huge door that followed was a long path that stretched almost over a hundred yards, only to be completed by a set of stairs that seemed to go on forever.

Tomoyo was almost sure that by the time she reached the upper palace, it would be bedtime. Regardless of her aching legs and having to drag a heavy kimono with her body, Tomoyo stood straight as she walked the stairs, taking her time.

Behind Tomoyo and off to a side was Sakura, and along Sakura was an entourage of guards. And at the very end were the unfortunate guards that had to lug up the heavy chests that contained all of Tomoyo and Sakura's belongings.

_Finally _when Tomoyo (and her entourage) reached the landing, Tomoyo had to resist from falling to the ground and kissing it; she honestly thought she would be there all day, climbing step after step after step.

As Tomoyo approached the heavy set of doors leading into (what she assumed was) the Emperor's foreground, the two guards that stood watch at it's sides pushed them in.

Tomoyo, again, was breath taken.

'_What? No more steps! This must be a miracle!'_

Instead of steps was a long hall, pillars supporting the semi-high ceilings. Tomoyo was impressed by the beautiful detail carved into the pillars; each one had a different picture but the easiest to see were the dragons that wrapped their bodies around the structure, snaking it's way to the floor.

Without moving her eyes too much, Tomoyo could see that there were doors here and there, some big heavy oak doors, some small that blended into the wall.

'_So it's not just a pointless long hall, hmm? ... oh kami-sama. Please don't tell me my room is down in the lower palace... if I have to climb those damn steps again..._'

At the end of the wide, long hall were another set of stairs. To Tomoyo's great joy, they didn't seem to be ones she would ever have to climb. They were only a flight of about ten steps but clearly the top was where the Emperor resided.

...wherever he was.

As Tomoyo neared about thirty yards of the steps, two guards stepped in front of Tomoyo, crossing their spears in her path. Tomoyo didn't speak but stopped. When she had ceased her walking, the guards uncrossed their spears and stepped a little off the path.

'_Tight security?'_ Tomoyo merely blinked and tried to drink in her environment.

On the second step from the top stood two women, each about ten feet opposite of each other. The one on the left was tall with long jet black hair. It was worn in a peculiar fashion– two buns on the side of her head with the rest following down past her waist. She wore an extremely old fashioned Chinese styled robe that closely resembled a kimono, but was more loose around the sleeves and the legs. A black sash was tied tight around her waist. The robe matched the color of the woman's eyes– ruby red. They pierced Tomoyo's eyes, even with distance between them. The woman's arms were folded and in the crook of her right arm was a long shaft that stood upright next to her. It was as tall as the woman and the blade that sat at the end of it was about a head taller than the woman herself.

As Tomoyo locked eyes with the woman in red, Tomoyo could see that she couldn't have been older than Tomoyo herself.

Switching gears, Tomoyo narrowed her eyes as she tore her gaze to the woman on the right. She too was tall but Tomoyo could immediately see that she was older. She had long sweeping dirty blond hair. The length almost rivaled Tomoyo's own hair. A couple strands of braids hid beneath the outer layer of hair. This woman had piercing eyes of her own, but they invited warmness. They were a dark honey color that shown as brightly as the ruby eyes that occupied the woman next to her. This woman wore a long traditional Chinese dress, color of sky blue. On her chest was a beautiful butterfly ornament that Tomoyo couldn't help but admire.

Tomoyo stood silently as she held her hands together in front her, hidden by the folds of her kimono.

'_Please please please... I would _really_ appreciate if I could have somewhere to sit...' _Tomoyo mentally groaned. But as usual, her face showed nothing of the pain in her legs.

After what felt like a painstakingly long time (Tomoyo almost felt like she was re-climbing the steps), the woman in blue cried out, in what Tomoyo personally thought was an overly cheerful voice, "Presenting... the Emperor of China... his highness Eriol Hiiragizawa!"

Tomoyo couldn't help but sweatdrop; she felt like she was attending a comedy performance or a concert.

A short second of silence fall after the introduction.

"Um... Meiling? Have you seen Eriol?" the woman in blue asked, turning her head from side to side.

Meiling, who happened to be the woman in red, shrugged and her face indicated that she was bored. "Who the hell knows what that guy's up to these days?" she muttered.

So there was Tomoyo, willing not to let her legs crumble, standing there as if she had legs of steel and all the patience in the world. And there was Sakura, also about to keel over but standing as if she were a statue. And there were the guards that stood behind the princess, all wondering where the hell their emperor was. And there were the guys in the very back, still holding the trunks, wondering when the hell they could put down the god-forsakenly heavy trunks.

And then...

"Gooooooo fetch!"

"Eriol! I told you to–"

CRAAAAASSSH! The woman in blue whipped around as behind her, a huge black panther emerged from the draped corridor, leaping after what seemed to be a tiny ball that bounced out a split second before it had.

"ERIOL!" wailed a voice.

Tomoyo's head jerked back slightly. _'I guess Yamazaki wasn't lying... for once.'_ Tomoyo had heard Sakura's gasp at the appearance of the panther. _'It certainly _is _large...'_

The huge panther bounded after the ball and skidded to a stop before it crashed into the wall on Meiling's side.

Meiling simply stood where she was, same bored look on her face, staring out at the endless hall before her.

"Spinel!" called a voice behind the drapes.

The panther's pointy ears stood alert as he heard his name. And a man... or boy about Tomoyo's age emerged from the drapes.

He had midnight blue hair and dazzling azure eyes to accompany them. He wore small oval shaped glasses that sat in a wire frame. And he wore a traditional Chinese shirt and cropped pants that matched his hair. And he was barefoot.

"Presenting his highness– Eriol Hiiragizawa!" the woman announced again.

'This_ is the leader of the country that we were at war with! Oh what has this world come to...?' _Mentally, Tomoyo was shaking her head and thinking that she might as well abort her mission if she was going to be surrounded by such odd people. But Tomoyo, playing her role, bowed deeply. "It is a great honor to meet you at last, Hiiragizawa-ou. I bare my greetings from Japan and–"

"Oh, you can just call me Eriol," he interrupted as he plopped down to sit on the top step.

Almost stuttering, Tomoyo couldn't mask her surprise. She opened her mouth to speak again when the so-called Emperor spoke again.

Gesturing to woman on his left, Eriol said, "This is my advisor, Nakuru."

The bright eyed woman swept into a slight bow.

"This here," Eriol continued, gesturing to his right, "is Meiling. She is my commander of the army."

Meiling didn't sport her bored face anymore but she merely gave a curt nod to Tomoyo, again locking eyes with her.

Suddenly, the drapes flew open and a extremely annoyed looking person walked out. He had messy brown hair and chocolate brown eyes that looked extremely tired. His traditional green shirt and long white pants also looked a tad ruffled.

"And this is Xiaolang. My weapon's master."

Xiaolang scowled in the Emperor's direction, took a step down to stand next to Nakuru and gave a stiff bow in Tomoyo's direction. She gave a slight nod of her head in reply.

The black panther laid down next to his owner, turning his large peppermint green eyes towards Tomoyo. His low growling echoed through the hall. Tomoyo held the animal's gaze.

Unbeknownst to anyone, the Emperor's eyes narrowed slightly. He placed on arm around the panther's neck and petted it's snout. The growling ceased immediately.

"And finally, this is Spinel. Just a friendly household pet, that's all."

Tomoyo could hear Sakura gulp; the panther's mouth was large enough to fit a head and half a torso...

"Well!" the Emperor cried, a smile on his face. "Now that introduction's are over, I'm sure you're wanting to get some rest from that climb, hmm? You can join me for breakfast tomorrow morning, Tomoyo-hime. And if you're wondering about dinner, it will be sent to your room. G'nite."

And with that, the Emperor stood up and exited through the drapes where he made his unusual entrance.

Tomoyo merely blinked and couldn't think of anything to do but bow.

'_This... is going to suck. Majorly.'_

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_ou_: king

_kami-sama_: god

–sighs– somehow this dint turn out how I wanted... so lemme know what you think!

**And before anyone starts ripping me apart for my description of nakuru and tell me that she was brown hair and brown eyes– I normally use the original CLAMP artwork colors for the basis of my characters, not the anime. If you happen to run by a picture of nakuru drawn by CLAMP, you'll see that nakuru's hair is actually more blond than brown. Just wanted to clear that up before I got comments on that. (Trust me, whenever I describe nakuru in _any_ of my fics, I get looooooads of comments telling me that I need to get my facts straight... aiyiyi...)**


	4. Formality Considered Informal

**I'M HOME!**

I have so much to say but I don't wanna waste all this space yapping so I'll condense it into cliff note's version:

1) I'm glad that everyone enjoyed the lightheartedness of the last chappi– how could I write a fic without any humor! –laughs–

2) is anyone a fan of tsubasa? If you are, please check out my kuroganeXtomoyo fic. It's called **The Anatomy of a Cream Puff**. I just started it (before I left) and would love to get some feedback!

3) if you'd like me to **send you an e-mail informing you about an update**, feel free to leave me a note plus your e-address and I'll be happy to do so! (I keep losing track of those who wanted me to e them... sorries!)

4) I've joined and if any of the pics that I plan to draw based on this dear ol fic come thru, I'll have them posted there. Otherwise, you'll basically find some random junk I like to doodle there. Anyways, check that out if you are bored and I don't mind anyone dropping a hello! –smiles– my username's **gsnapcookie** (I'm not sure if the search thing works like that but if not, I'll make note).

5) a **HUGE thank you** to all of you that filled up my inbox with comments! You guys are great and keep me motivated!

and oh yeah... to **Shadow Elf Sofi**: hey you! Sssshhhh! –whispers– stop being so smart!

Again, thanks as always and thank you for being so patient with my absence! –sniffles– you guys are so great!

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CHAPTER FOUR: Formality Considered Informal

Opening her eyes, Tomoyo blinked a couple times before sitting up. It was pitch black and the moon's light was bright and soothing. Looking out her window, she roughly estimated the time from where the moon sat.

At this time, the whole palace would be open for Tomoyo to explore.

Tomoyo tossed aside the covers and blankets and stepped onto the cold stone floor. Purposely stepping by her geta sandals, Tomoyo walked briskly to the door, footsteps light.

Before opening her door, Tomoyo tightened the belt that kept her yukata snug on her body. Opening the door, Tomoyo peeked her head out. Her eyes, very adjusted to the dark, could see that the hall was clear.

After her meeting with the Emperor, Tomoyo (along with her entourage) was led back down the royal hallway she had walked. About half way, Tomoyo's party turned right to go through one of the large doors.

As Tomoyo had suspected, the door led down another hall (and she gathered that the other doors in that hallway led to different areas of the palace). To her relief, she did _not_ have to climb nor descend another flight of million steps. She _did_, however, have to walk through quite a few long halls and wait for big doors to be pushed opened. In some of these halls, there would be two or three steps down, merely spacing out the descent down. (_'How big _is_ this stupid palace!'_)

Closing her bedroom door behind her, Tomoyo still looked from side to side. Twice confirming that the coast was clear, Tomoyo walked to her left. She passed what she knew was Sakura's room and continued down the hall. The coldness of the floor felt pleasantly cool on Tomoyo's bare feet. Though her steps made no noise, she still stepped cautiously.

After opening a few doors, and pressing her ear against some of the smaller ones, Tomoyo deduced that this was a guest hallway with mostly bedrooms.

Then, after deciding to risk opening a main hall door, Tomoyo decided this would be her last hall for the night.

A particular door caught her eye; it sat in the center of the left side. The heavy wooden doors were carved with intricate designs. Even though Tomoyo's eyes were adjusted, the hall was still too dark to make out the designs. Tomoyo ran her hand over the door, closing her eyes. Somehow, she could tell that someone took a lot of time to carve the set of doors and put much love into his work.

Tomoyo grasped a handle in each hand, took a breath, and pushed them open.

As soon as she did, her eyes instantly narrowed and she leapt back, every muscle in her body tense.

Where she had been standing and exactly where her neck would have been, was a blade.

"You've got good reflexes, Princess."

Tomoyo relaxed her muscles and stood straight. "You surprised me, Syaoran-sama," Tomoyo said to the weapon's master, reverting his name to Japanese. "Is it alright if I call you that?" she asked with a light smile.

"Whatever you like," he replied gruffly. He sat down onto a stool as he pulled back the blade that sat on a staff. Tomoyo recognized it as the military general, Meiling's, weapon.

The dim light that came from a lantern lit the workshop, that which Tomoyo took a step into, taking care to close the heavy doors behind her.

"Up so late?" she asked.

"I could ask you the same. What're you up to?"

Smiling again, Tomoyo said, "I was looking for the bathroom. Perhaps I took a wrong turn..."

Syaoran stopped sharpening the blade and looked up. His chocolate eyes connected with Tomoyo's own lavender eyes. Tomoyo smiled in return.

"Without any shoes? And completely barefoot?" Syaoran inquired, an eyebrow raised.

'_Perceptive, isn't he?'_ "I find the cool touch rather pleasing." Tomoyo continued to smile in a lighthearted manner.

"Not very princess-like," Syaoran said with a slight grin.

"I believe in simplicity, Syaoran-sama."

Going back to work on his sharpening, Syaoran said, "If you're going to hang around here, you might as well drop the formality."

"May I ask why?"

"Hiiragizawa doesn't believe in formality."

'_I can tell.'_ Not voicing her sarcastic thoughts, Tomoyo merely tilted her head slightly and replied, "Is that so?"

"That _is_ so," said a new voice.

"I told you not to do that, Meiling!" Syaoran groaned. "Can't you come in through the doorway like any normal person! Quit going through my room!"

Meiling yawned as if bored in reply. "Are you _done_ yet, Xiaolang?"

"I only just started, you impatient spaz."

"I asked you to sharpen Ruby Moon _days_ ago!"

"Hey! I've got other things to do during the day, okay? Night's the only time I've got to sharpen your toy."

As the two bickered, Tomoyo took her chance to check out Syaoran's workshop. Being inside clearly showed that this workshop was not a place for children to be running around learning how to make toys. Numerous weapons lined the wall or were leaned against it. ("I'm surprised you even dare call your own creation a 'toy', Xiaolang!") From what Tomoyo could tell, each was unique and specially crafted. Oh no, this was no mass-produced retailer of weapons. _This_ was a locally owned company. Tomoyo admired Syaoran's skill for creating all the weapons and she wondered who would come to own each one. ("I only call it a toy because it's _you_ swinging it around and lugging it everywhere like a security blanket!")

Off to Syaoran's side where Meiling had entered was a small doorway whose door was slightly open a crack. Drapes that gave the door double camouflage had been tied up to the side. Tomoyo wondered which hall the other door to Syaoran's room was located.

All the way opposite of where Tomoyo was standing was actually not a solid wall. There were large windows and a pair of sliding doors. Through the window, the moon light was basking in an open area, soothing over the smooth stone slab. The sight made Tomoyo inwardly smile.

A sparring ring.

Before Tomoyo could even step onto Memory Lane and recount the numerous times she stood on such a place, Meiling threw up her arms and cried in exasperation.

"Whatever! Will you _please_ just get it down sometime soon?" Meiling turned from Syaoran (who was wearing an irritated look) and looked at Tomoyo. "Care to spar? I'm so bored here and it looks like Xiaolang plans to take another year or so–"

"Will you just shut up?" Syaoran growled, glaring up at Meiling.

Meiling ignored him and kept her eyes fastened on Tomoyo. "How 'bout it?"

Mentally, Tomoyo was telling herself that it was time for her to go while she couldn't help but feel the irresistible tug of fulfilling a challenge.

Seeing her hesitation, Meiling grinned. "C'mon, I'll take it easy on you! Just the bamboo staffs, okay?"

Finally giving a small smile, Tomoyo shook her head. "I think it's time for me to return to bed. I'm sorry to have disturbed you, Syaoran-sama. Good night to the both of you." She bowed her head, which the other two did in return.

Before she could step through the door, Syaoran spoke.

"There's a bathroom down the hall, Princess."

Tomoyo stopped. Turning her head and smiling, she said, "Thank you for informing me, Syaoran-sama. Again, I bid you good night."

As Tomoyo closed Syaoran's doors, she could hear Meiling speak.

"Huh. I think she'll get along fine with Eriol, don't you think? She walks around this place barefoot too. But she really needs to lose that _properness_, huh, Xiaolang?"

"...yeah. She does."

Smiling to herself, Tomoyo released the door handles and walked back to her room.

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okay... I'm gonna keep my mouth shut and let you guys do the talking. I'll try to be back with another update in the next two weeks– no guarantee tho! Be patient!


	5. Midnight Snack

Thanks for everyone's support– it's great getting everyone's comments! –smiles– thankies thankies thankies!

I had replies to all those who reviewed... but I received an email saying that we weren't allowed to reply to reviews –frowns– ooookaay... we'll see what happens.

Loads of you have been asking where the eXt action is. Well... see for yourself.

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CHAPTER FIVE: Midnight Snack

Knock knock.

Tomoyo almost struggled to sit up in bed, something very unlike her. Perhaps it was due to her lack of sleep once she had finished sneaking around the halls. She wasn't sure what was bothering her nor do she really care; all she wanted was more of the comfy warm blankets.

"Who is it?" Tomoyo managed to call. She slowly got out from the covers and sat on the edge of her bed, rubbing her eyes.

"It's Sakura, Tomoyo...hime."

Feeling a little more awake and ignoring the voice in the back of her head that was whining about the need for more sleep, Tomoyo again neglected to put on her sandals before shuffling across the floor.

When Tomoyo unlocked her door and slid it open, Sakura was faced with a very rumpled looking Tomoyo (bits of her hair seemed to stick out) and realized that Tomoyo probably didn't have the best night.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Tomoyo-hime," Sakura said brightly. "I've got your clothes for today!"

Rolling her eyes, Tomoyo stepped aside to let Sakura in and flumped back onto her bed as Sakura shut the door.

"You alright, Tomoyo-chan?" Sakura asked in a quiet yet worried voice.

"I'm fine," came Tomoyo's muffled reply. "Damn... I thought I'd sleep better after walking all those steps."

A pair of emerald eyes flitted to the door before their owner scurried to Tomoyo's bed.

"Gomen, Tomoyo-chan. I never had a chance to give you your present!"

"Huh? Present?" Tomoyo asked, lifting her head, her eyes still half-lidded.

Sakura pulled out a small package wrapped in cloth from the folds of Tomoyo's outfit for the day.

"Awww, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo protested. "You didn't have to!" She sat up and rubbed her eyes again.

"What are you talking about?" Sakura exclaimed, then giggled and lowered her voice. "Turning nineteen is a big deal! Now open it!"

Smiling at her best friend, Tomoyo unwrapped the cloth. Inside was another cloth, but intricate designs of what looked like cherry blossoms were woven into the red fabric.

"Oh... it's beautiful!" Tomoyo whispered.

"Keep unwrapping!" Sakura urged.

"There's more?" asked Tomoyo, her eyes wide.

"Just open it!" Sakura laughed.

Looking curiously at the square of folded cloth, Tomoyo opened it.

"Sakura-chan..."

Sakura smiled softly as she saw her friend stare at the gift within the gift.

Inside was a pendant a little smaller than Tomoyo's palm; it was a crescent moon with tiny details carved on the inside that comprised of stars and other things. The details instantly reminded Tomoyo of Syaoran's armory door.

And without being told, Tomoyo knew that she wasn't supposed to wear this pendant on her body or hang it on a wall as a decoration.

With watery eyes, Tomoyo gave her friend a deep and strong hug.

"Okay okay, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura said, patting Tomoyo's back. "C'mon– it's time for you to get dressed."

As Tomoyo released Sakura, she whispered, "Arigatou," with the softest smile.

– – –

"Ah, jzhou an, Tomoyo-hime," the Emperor said (mixing Chinese and Japanese together), as Tomoyo and Sakura were escorted into the dining hall.

"Ohayo gozaimasu... Hiiragizawa-ou," Tomoyo replied lightly, bowing deeply.

Today, Sakura had chosen for Tomoyo to wear a simple (yet elegant, of course) kimono of light blue. Like many of her kimonos, Tomoyo's didn't have any extremely bold details but mostly were light or few. In correspondence to the light color, the blue seemed to depict a bright sky with a few wispy clouds here and there. Tomoyo's obi was white and very simple. Her hair was let loose in it's most natural form and on the side of her head was a head/hair clip that was made of a silver metal material that had no particular given form (though looked like an elaborate type of pin wheel) but was a very elegant design.

"You look so cute today, Princess!" the bright eyed advisor squealed. "I love that head piece– think the person who made it could make me one!"

Tomoyo was slightly taken aback but blinking once, she smiled and replied, "I'm sure that would be possible."

"Please be seated," Eriol said, smiling. He waved his hand graciously.

Bowing again, Tomoyo knelt down at the low table. She found it quite comfortable seeing as it was very similar to the eating style back in Japan. And like yesterday, Tomoyo found herself across from the Emperor, but at a far distance. It wasn't as far away as yesterday but there was quite a long stretch of table between them.

Throughout breakfast, Tomoyo watched each of the Emperor's closest hands. She saw the Syaoran and Meiling had a knack for arguing quite a bit while forever genki Nakuru seemed amused by their bickering and always managed a laugh whenever Meiling lunged to steal a piece of Syaoran's food. And the Emperor? Well, he seemed amused by it too for he also laughed and with all the spare table between them, Tomoyo could see a twinkle in his azure eyes.

And the panther. Tomoyo continued to feel it's stare from those peppermint green orbs as he sat by his master's side. She ignored the staring feeling and not let it bother her.

When Meiling wasn't stealing Syaoran's food, and Nakuru not attempting to lure Spinel to eat some fish, Eriol and Tomoyo talked. He asked her questions about Japan and politely listened with interest as she spoke.

Again, Tomoyo felt a little odd, being seated at a long table, facing the Emperor one on one. It had dawned on her that it was possible that he was paranoid and did not want to let a foreigner too close. Tomoyo smiled to herself; of course, she _was_ from the enemy country, wasn't she?

After breakfast, Eriol excused himself and asked Nakuru to give Tomoyo and Sakura a tour of the palace.

The three were accompanied by Syaoran and after a couple halls, Meiling invited herself to join the miniature tour group. Of course, she carried her spear-like weapon with her and Tomoyo could clearly see that the blade was sharpened. (Sakura eyed it nervously and made sure that she kept her distance.)

Nakuru had reassured that Tomoyo would not be shown the whole palace in one day or else she was sure that Tomoyo would collapse from all the walking. Tomoyo was shown a few of the palace gardens (which she simply fell in love with), the kitchen, the palace archives, and a few other places.

When the tour ended, Nakuru pointed out that Tomoyo was free to visit the gardens ("I saw that look on your face when you saw them! And today's weather looks so lovely...") and Meiling had disappeared from sight. Nakuru excused herself for she had some duties to attend to and Tomoyo thanked her as she bowed.

"Oh Syao-kun!" Sakura giggled. "You can't be serious?"

Syaoran ran a hand through his messy brown hair. "Well... it's just a rumor." He stopped speaking when he saw Tomoyo watching him. "Excuse me, Princess. I have to go and get some work done–"

Without another word, Syaoran started off the hall. Sakura had turned to watch him go and when she turned back to look at Tomoyo, Tomoyo mouthed _"Syao-kun?"_ with a raised eyebrow. Sakura's cheeks turned pink and waited until Syaoran left the hall and disappeared.

"Well well well..." Tomoyo said, folding her arms. Her eyebrow was still raised and she was sporting a very odd grin. "Well well well..."

Sakura's cheeks burned even brighter and bowing her head, Sakura mumbled something about returning to her room.

Tomoyo watched her go and couldn't help grinning as she imagined Touya's reaction if he had heard that Sakura was flirting with boys.

'_He'd have a heart attack... though I'm sure he's already had one since she left... or a few...'_ Tomoyo's grin widened and she stepped out into one of the gardens to enjoy the sunshine.

– – –

A sound made Tomoyo's eyes snap open and awake her from her deep sleep. Listening to the sound, she scowled and did not like it at all.

It was her stomach.

'_I swear I had two helpings of everything at dinner!' _Tomoyo protested with herself. No avail. Her stomach continued to grumble and Tomoyo's scowl deepened.

She had no choice but to trek to the kitchen. To her surprise, there were no guards from what she could see and felt grateful to the lack of security.

Her stomach was forcing her to hurry and find some food.

Upon finding the kitchen, Tomoyo slipped in and looked around. She wasn't really up to making anything nor did she have the talent to do so; mostly Touya or Kaho cooked back at home.

"Tomoyo-hime?"

Tomoyo jumped and cursed herself for not noticing someone was in her company.

It was completely dark but she could make out the figure at the other side of the kitchen.

"Hiiragizawa-ou... I'm deeply sorry– I was just–"

"Hungry? Me too." Eriol started to make his way towards Tomoyo. "Why don't we light one of the lanterns?"

Her back stiffening, Tomoyo stepped back.

Amazingly, Eriol seemed to notice. "Is something wrong?"

Not really sure how to put it into words, Tomoyo opened and closed her mouth.

"Sorry, didn't quite get that," Eriol said; Tomoyo could tell he was smiling.

"I was getting the impression that I was not allowed too close to you."

Hearing this, Eriol laughed. He shook his head and resumed heading towards Tomoyo. "It's only something my guards make me follow– I've told them over and over that I don't really care– after all, I don't want to make my guests feel unwelcome, right? Besides, it's just me so the rules don't apply."

'_Huh? He doesn't care? What is wrong with this guy? Is he or is he not the Emperor of China?'_

Suddenly, Tomoyo gasped; she hadn't noticed that Eriol was standing right next to her. In an instant, the room seemed much brighter from the flame in the lantern next to Tomoyo's head.

"So, Tomoyo-hime, want anything in particular?"

"Um... actually, I don't want to impose on you, Hiiragizawa-ou–"

"It's Eriol, remember?" Eriol said, shooting Tomoyo a smile. He was reaching up to a shelf to pull down a huge round box. "Barely _anyone_ is _that_ formal around here."

'_Obviously...'_

Going to a cupboard, Eriol was pulling out a large kitchen knife.

Tomoyo's back stiffened even more and her first instinct was to grab the closest weapon possible and strike before her opponent did... Her hand shook as she tried to calm herself. _'Stop... nothing's going to happen. Stop...'_

Noticing the strained look on Tomoyo's face, Eriol raised an eyebrow and his eyes filled with concern.

"Tomoyo-hime? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Tomoyo answered in a smooth voice, voice defying her action. "I'm fine."

Shooting her a glance, Eriol lifted the lid off the round box. "D'you like red bean?"

"Is that... cake?"

"Yep!" Eriol said with a smile. "Chinese style cake if you will."

"I see... it looks... very good."

Looking up from cutting a slice, Eriol asked, "Would you like some?"

"Oh, no, thank you," Tomoyo replied, shaking her head.

Gyururururu...

Tomoyo looked down at her stomach as Eriol laughed.

"I think your stomach says otherwise, Tomoyo-hime. Have a piece."

Slipping the slice of unusual cake onto a plate, Eriol slid it across the table to Tomoyo. Tomoyo looked down at the interesting look cake. It almost reminded her of red bean stuffed into a pancake. But not. She gingerly picked it up and nibbled the end.

"Good?" Eriol said through a mouthful of cake.

"Yes... actually, it's very good."

With a big smile, Eriol nodded. "Yep, best kinda cake you could get for your birthday!"

"'Birthday'?" Tomoyo repeated. "May I ask whose birthday it was?"

Another big smile spread over Eriol's face and was shined towards Tomoyo. "Mine."

"Oh!" For some reason, Tomoyo almost fumbled and dropped her slice. "Oh– happy birthday, Hiiragizawa-ou."

"Xie xie." Looking thoughtful for a second, Eriol cut himself another piece. "Y'know, you make me laugh, Tomoyo-hime."

"Hmm?" Tomoyo met the Emperor's eyes.

"Well... you're very formal. And somehow, that gets to me. Didn't I already say to call me Eriol?" Eriol's eyes twinkled.

Not sure what to say to that, Tomoyo merely took another bite.

"If I ordered you to call me by my first name, would you do it?"

No answer. Then–

"If that is what you want, then I shall," Tomoyo responded quietly.

Instead of a command, Tomoyo heard a chuckle; she looked up.

"It's not my place to give you command, Tomoyo-hime."

Tomoyo opened her mouth to protest but was cut off.

"Well, being twenty isn't easy. Maybe I'm growing too old; I get tired more easily," Eriol joked.

Putting away the cake and washing the knife (Tomoyo's hand shook again), Eriol wiped his hands on his shirt (Tomoyo practically flinched– _'We're surrounded by towels! Can't you bother to use one!'_) and smiled at Tomoyo.

"Get a good night's sleep, Tomoyo-hime, which I'm sure you will with that cake. I get a feeling tomorrow's weather will be just as beautiful as today's."

And something happened that Tomoyo was entirely not prepared for.

As Eriol brushed by Tomoyo to exit, he placed his hand tenderly on her shoulder and gave it a small squeeze, like reassuring her that everything would all right.

She stood frozen on the spot and did not even bid the Emperor 'good night'.

When the kitchen door slid shut, Tomoyo did not step from her spot but looked back as if she could see Eriol walking away.

Her opposite hand touched her shoulder. Tomoyo's face fell into a cross between a sad and confused frown.

She despised the feeling the touch had left–

Warmth.

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_jzhou an_: good morning (chinese) okay– lemme make a note on this– I am HORRIBLE at flipping chinese into the alphabet or whatever (it's so much easier with japanese!) but I think this is pretty close.

_xie xie_: thank you (chinese)

_genki_: happy, cheerful, etc. (japanese)

Clicky that review button!


	6. Unfortunate Reminder

Thankies, as always, to my lovely reviewers and to those who bother to read this dear lil fic!

Oh yes– bac in **chappi one**, I mentioned that it was **Tomoyo's nineteenth bday **so thus, Sakura's gift in chappi 5. –thinks– I dint really think about eriol's bday being the same as tomoyo's but since they seem to be in range as I have written it... sure. What the hell. They have the same bday but a year off! Woohoo! There you go!

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CHAPTER SIX: Unfortunate Reminder

"_Ha!" Tomoyo cried as she twirled on the spot, swinging her bamboo shaft._

_Her weapon hit Touya's with a sharp and satisfying 'clunk'_ _as Touya parried her blow._

"_Getting good, Tomoyo!" Touya said with a smile as he continued to play the defensive end as Tomoyo advanced with her blows._

_Wearing a determined face, Tomoyo did not stop her advance. She was quite literally dripping with sweat but her grip on her weapon did weaken._

"_C'mon now! You can do better!" Touya provoked, wearing his trademark grin._

"_Then why are you struggling to hold your end?" Tomoyo challenged back, sporting her own grin._

"_Very well," Touya simply replied in dead seriousness. Expertly, he parried another of Tomoyo's blows and in an instant, started to push Tomoyo back._

_Eyes narrowing, Tomoyo took steps back as she worked to repel Touya's strikes. Touya's blows were swift and to Tomoyo, all his movements were a blur. She barely had a spilt second to anticipate where his next strike would be. Also, she had to be careful not to let Touya get around–_

"_Waaah!" Tomoyo cried in shock as she felt her legs being swept from under her. Her back hit the stone ground hard and winced at the impact._

_Laughing, Touya offered his hand to Tomoyo. "That was good, Tomoyo. But you're still letting me get by to your open side."_

_Taking deep breaths, Tomoyo stared up at Touya's face. His hand was still outstretched, ready to pull her to her feet._

_Smiling back, Tomoyo reached out her hand and as Touya took it–_

"_Ah," Touya gasped as he felt Tomoyo's strong grip pull him down and her legs sideswipe his own, causing him to land flat on his back._

_This time, Tomoyo was smiling down at Touya. "I'll work on that," she said with a teasing edge. _

_Tomoyo wiped off her own hakama and shouldered her shaft. Without another word, she walked away, wearing a smile that said she was very pleased with herself._

_Touya did not instantly sit up; instead, he stayed where he was, staring up at the clear sky. He smiled as he shaded his eyes when the sun decided to shine even brighter._

'_She's still very young... but she's strong._ _And she'll continue to grow even more so...'_

– – –

"Y'know, the weather here is very odd."

"Huh?" Tomoyo jerked out of her thoughts when Sakura spoke.

Tomoyo had been gazing out to the lower level where members of the Royal Guard were sparring.

Glancing at Tomoyo with a curious look, Sakura looked outside, following where Tomoyo's gaze had been seconds before.

"The weather here is very odd," Sakura repeated.

Tomoyo resumed watching the pairs spar; they seemed to be fairly experienced.

"We've been here for almost over a week and it feels like spring; back in Japan, it must still be snowing and spring shouldn't be approaching for another month or so."

"Hmm..." Tomoyo replied. It wasn't that she wasn't interested in what Sakura had to say but it was because she had now focused her attention on Meiling.

Meiling was slowly weaving in and out of the pairs, stopping at some of them, watching them closely. Sometimes, she would stop the fight and give a few pointers. Even better, with some, she would take one partner's place and do a short spar and then do some explaining.

Inwardly smiling, Tomoyo bowed her head a little bit; Meiling was extremely talented and Tomoyo found herself thinking that she wouldn't mind getting a shot at a spar with her.

'_Though I _did_ have a chance... too bad under these circumstances, it's too risky.'_

Still keeping her eyes on Meiling, Tomoyo spoke. "I agree... but I'm enjoying this weather. Not having to bundle up is a huge reduce in stress."

Sakura giggled. "Very true. But there's something very serene about the silence of snow."

This time, a soft smile spread across Tomoyo's face. "Very true," she said quietly, echoing Sakura's choice of words.

Another moment of silence passed between the two friends as they both looked outside, leaning against the sturdy wooden supports of the hall.

"Now," Tomoyo said suddenly, making Sakura jerk out of her trance, "tell me... how is _Syao-kun_?"

Tomoyo's arched eyebrow was met with a deep blush.

"You should ask him yourself," Sakura mumbled. She started fumbling with the hems of her Chinese style shirt.

Folding her arms, Tomoyo's eyebrow went up even higher– if that was even possible.

"Oh no, I don't think I need to, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo said in a low yet teasing voice; her smile was increasing to a Chesire grin– and it was freaking Sakura out. "I mean, you've seen him _way _more than I have, hmm?"

This time, Sakura mumbled something incomprehensible and shuffled away, again playing with the hems of her shirt.

Tomoyo smiled fondly at Sakura's retreating back. Once Sakura disappeared at the end of the hall, Tomoyo's smile faded slowly. She was glad to see Sakura's laughing face when talking to Syaoran, but Tomoyo knew that if it kept going, it would bring complications.

Sighing, Tomoyo turned to look back down at the duels down below. _'As if things aren't complicated as is...'_

"Good, isn't she?"

Tomoyo jumped up, practically banging her head sideways into the wooden support.

"H-hiiragizawa-ou!" she gasped, trying hard to resist rubbing her head.

Smiling his usual smile at her, Eriol said, "Nihao, Tomoyo-hime."

'_How the _hell_ does he do that!' _Tomoyo thought. _'I can never sense him coming...'_

"Is something wrong?"

Tomoyo didn't realize that her mouth was agape and quickly closed it. "No, nothing. I just–"

"Don't tell me you're still paranoid about that distance rule?" Eriol asked, obviously poking fun at Tomoyo.

Though she didn't say anything, Tomoyo _did_ feel a little awkward being so close; she was used to her roomy space between herself and the Emperor.

"Don't worry. If one of the guards come around, I'll sprint to the other end of the hall until they leave, okay? That way we won't get in trouble."

Making herself smile, Tomoyo nodded. "All right."

Yet again, but this time with the Emperor at her side, Tomoyo turned her gaze outside.

The silence between the two was indescribable; Tomoyo wasn't sure if it made her feel awkward or if it had no definite affect– she had to admit that it was a slight shock to see the Emperor during the day. Throughout her stay (of one week) so far, she had only encountered Eriol in the morning for breakfast and at night for dinner. Not to mention that midnight snack in the kitchen.

For some reason, Tomoyo felt some reason to break the silence. Without meeting Eriol's eyes, Tomoyo spoke. "Meiling-sama _is_ good," she said, picking up from Eriol's first statement. "I would hate to go into combat with her."

"Mmm. Me too," Eriol replied with a chuckle.

Down in the courtyard, it seemed that one of the guards had challenged Meiling to a duel. From her view, Tomoyo could see Meiling laugh and nod; clearly this duel was just for fun. The other members circled around the edge of the courtyard, cheering on their fellow guard.

It was clear who was expected to win.

"Did you enjoy the market?"

Eriol's words made Tomoyo yet again jerk back into reality. Lately, she seemed to have the tendency to walk down Memory Lane more and more.

"Oh yes," Tomoyo replied in a cheerful manner. Still, she did not meet the Emperor's eyes. Every time she looked into them, she found herself falling and she got a vague impression that her very soul was being scanned; to her, it was an odd and eerie feeling that she couldn't place. "Your people are very kind."

"I'm glad to hear that," came Eriol's response and Tomoyo could tell he was smiling. And that he was looking at her.

Tomoyo could feel his gaze on her and took it as a challenge for her to look up.

"Also, thank you for the beautiful outfits..." Tomoyo said, blushing slightly. She started fumbling with the hem of her shirt, like Sakura had.

It was a long, sleeveless, Chinese style shirt of pink flowers and a red background. Tomoyo wore black pants that also matched the design.

"Oh, don't thank me," Eriol replied, though clearly happy at Tomoyo's remark. "You should thank Nakuru. I had her come with me– she always says that I have no fashion sense whatsoever. She helped me choose some of the patterns."

Tomoyo smiled and nodded. Earlier in the day, a couple maids had dropped off numerous outfits for Tomoyo and quite a couple for Sakura. They were "gifts from the Emperor" and very nice gifts indeed. Each set of clothing was a different color, different style, and had different patterns. All were made with what seemed to be the finest silk and had the softest touch to them.

This morning, Tomoyo had trekked down to the local market, accompanied by Sakura, Nakuru, and (of course) Meiling. It was a chance for Tomoyo to observe even more of her surroundings. The townspeople were extremely kind, just like the first day Tomoyo landed on mainland China. Even though Tomoyo was not dressed to stand out, people noticed her and showered her with gifts.

"I've noticed that you really seem to enjoy the garden."

A genuine smile spreading across her pale face, Tomoyo nodded as her eyes locked with Eriol's. "I do. But I must ask, Hiiragizawa-ou, how would you know?" A strange fleeting moment of mischievousness grasped her and Tomoyo couldn't help but adapt a teasing tone. "Are you stalking me?"

Mentally, Tomoyo was knocking her head off the wooden support. _'No no **NO**! I'm flirting! No no no! Princesses don't flirt!... wait... do they? I mean, I've been keeping this up pretty damn well... I _guess_ it's natural to flirt– NO NO NO!'_

Of course, on the outside, Tomoyo remained in her calm composure, but wearing a challenging smile.

Eriol was surprised for a split second; this was probably the closest thing to 'informality' Tomoyo had expressed in her stay so far. But the tone in her voice made him chuckle. "Perhaps I am, Tomoyo-hime."

To her own amazement, a soft smile spread across Tomoyo's face. She wasn't sure what it was but she thought perhaps it was the teasing sincerity in the Emperor's voice.

"I'll have to show you my own garden some–"

But Eriol was interrupted as his head knocked into Tomoyo's, making the two go "ow!"

"And how are my two favorite lovebirds doing?" came an overly genki voice. The voice of the own had her arms wrapped around Eriol and Tomoyo's neck, holding them in crunching "hug," and choking the two in the process.

"Na-na-kuru," Eriol gasped.

Whilst being choked, Tomoyo was blushing like crazy. _'Lovebirds? _Lovebirds_? Noooooo! What's going on! When have we ever displayed signs of being _lovebirds_!'_

"At the end of the hallway, it looked like you guys were having a secret meeting!" Nakuru sighed.

Eriol rolled his eyes; he could practically see Nakuru's glittery eyes in his mind.

"A-ano... Akizuki-sama... you... can you... let go?" Tomoyo gasped in between breathes. Nakuru's lock around her neck was so tight that Tomoyo was sure that her windpipe would never be the same size again.

"Oh ho ho ho!" Nakuru laughed, releasing the two, sending them crashing onto the floor. "You two! A secret rendezvous between lovers– can it get any better!" Nakuru clapped her hands together. "Oooh! I can't wait until the wedding..."

And with that, Nakuru skipped off, leaving the two staring at her with bewilderment.

'_Wedding... oh my... Damn. I didn't even think about that...' _Tomoyo thought.

Standing up, Eriol brushed off his clothes and offered his hand to Tomoyo.

"Ignore Nakuru. She can be a bit... erm... over enthusiastic sometimes," Eriol said, shaking his head.

Accepting his help, Tomoyo merely nodded with a blank look on her face.

'_A wedding...'_

Tomoyo wasn't sure if she was right but she thought she saw a very faint tint of pink on the Emperor's cheeks. Clearly, she could tell that he had forgotten about that very 'w' word.

The two stood staring at each other, unsure of what to say. Then Tomoyo realized that Eriol was still holding her hand and she withdrew it.

'_Well... this is awkward...' _the two thought at the same time.

"I need to be going," Eriol said in his usual voice, as if nothing had happened. He ran a hand through his dark hair as if contemplating.

Tomoyo waited for she expected the Emperor to say more– but he didn't. He smiled, bowed, and turned on his heel.

Watching him go, Tomoyo was all in jumbles. Her head was spinning and she was sure she would faint.

She had entirely forgotten on which terms she had arrived in this country for– marriage. She was the peace treaty between the two warring countries and Tomoyo had completely forgotten.

Tomoyo scowled; the look didn't suit her beautiful face but it was all that expressed her thoughts.

Without another thought, Tomoyo turned and walked the opposite way and exited the hall.

Down in the courtyard, the expected victor stood tall.

Her ruby eyes looked up towards the hall that stood above. The eyes narrowed.

Meiling hadn't enjoyed the fact that she was being watched. It gave her a foreboding sense of unease.

Squeezing her eyes tight, Meiling tried to will the feeling away but no avail.

As if on cue, a breeze fluttered by, sweeping strands of her hair across her face, as if trying to calm the discomforted woman.

But it didn't.

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aiyiyi... I hope that dint seem filler-ish. I had other plans for this chappi but somehow they dint fit so I decided to save it for later–

FEEDBACK! –roars– FEEDBACK FEEDBACK FEEDBACK!


	7. Summer in the Winter

Hmmm... many of you seemed surprised at the mention of marriage! –laughs– well, it _was_ in the summary and yes, this was the first time it was mentioned in the story.

**unfortunately, I'm getting the feeling that my updates will be a little slower– at least for the first term of this semester– my homework load in psychology is a little ridiculous and it's really keeping me down. I hope I can _at least_ update once a month –cringes– but I hope it won't be that drastic. Therefore, if you want, leave your e-address if you'd like me to inform you of an update.**

**_a question that would be greatly appreciated if it was answered:_** I'm curious as to if people knew about that rule where the writer wasn't allowed to reply to their reviewers. I mentioned that, right? now rumors are flying by that we're not allowed to quote song lyrics? huh? Huh huh huh! can someone help me out and tell me if that's true? because I have this great love of putting lyrics in my fics... –scratches head– I mean, tomoyo _sings_ after all... if anyone knows about this, I would greatly appreciate it if anyone could fill me in— thankies!

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CHAPTER SEVEN: Summer in the Winter

"The beach! The beach! The beach!" Nakuru exclaimed, punching her fist into the air.

"We're not going to the beach, Nakuru," Meiling said in a bored voice, accompanied by a bored face. "We're going to the waterfall."

"The waterfall! The river! The waterfall! The river!" Nakuru cried, again punching her fist into the air. "Finally! We get to get out of the palace!"

"You went out yesterday. You went to the market, remember?" Syaoran pointed out.

"I go there every week," Nakuru said, waving that away. "Oooh!"

Tomoyo smiled as she approached the group with Sakura at her side. "Ohayo gozaimasu, minna-san."

"Your outfit is very cute, Princess! I love the pattern! Butterflies everywhere!"

"Arigatou," Tomoyo said, giving a small bow. "Actually, it's a summer yukata. The weather here is so unusual that I thought it would be easier to put this on than a kimono."

Nakuru giggled. "You're right. The weather here _is_ strange; it's only the middle of winter but it's starting to feel like spring. We should take advantage of that, just in case the snow returns."

Nodding, Tomoyo then turned towards Eriol, who was walking towards the group with his panther at his side.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Hiiragizawa-ou." Tomoyo and Sakura bowed simultaneously.

The group of 'informals' each had their own ways of greeting; Nakuru punched the air, crying out in her joyful voice, "Gooood morning, Eriol!" and launched herself at the panther, giving it a big hug, going, "And how is _Suppi-chan_ today!" Meiling nodded and bade Eriol good morning in her calm voice. Syaoran grunted.

And in turn, Eriol responded with his smile and nodded. When he came to a stop in front of the group, Spinel Sun sat down on his hunches and Eriol's hand immediately came to rest on upon the panther's head, right between his long, pointy ears. (Not to mention Nakuru clinging to his neck...)

And as usual, the panther stared at Tomoyo as Tomoyo refused to lose the challenge. Her eyes connected with those of the panther and stayed connected, looking deep into the mystery of those mint green eyes. Tomoyo looked up only when Eriol spoke to her.

"You look very nice today, Tomoyo-hime," Eriol said with a sincere smile. "But then again, you look beautiful everyday."

Blushing, Tomoyo gave the smallest bow of bows. "Arigatou..." A little embarrassed (and feeling everyone's eyes on her), Tomoyo glanced down at the floor. But to show that she was not totally and easily fazed, she smiled and said cheerfully, "Shall we go?"

"Let's go! Let's go!" Nakuru cried, punching the air.

– – –

"Aaaaah..." Tomoyo gasped. She and Sakura stood at the edge, gaping at the sight before them while the others smiled at their surprise.

The group (and panther) stood before a huge waterfall that for some weird reason, was not accompanied by the normal sound of roaring when the water connected with the small river below. It was serene and had more of a trickling noise, as if it were merely a tiny stream of water dripping onto the floor.

A smile spread across Tomoyo's face; she had fond memories of waterfalls...

– – –

"_Where are you going, Kinomoto-sama?" Tomoyo, the young age of ten, looked curiously up at Touya._

"Touya,_ Tomoyo,_ Touya_," he corrected, stopping as he looked back at Tomoyo._

_Tomoyo looked shy and fiddled with the sleeve of her yukata. She still wasn't used to calling Touya by his first name. She still felt a little outsider-like and was still formal with everyone. Touya smiled at the little girl. He waited for Tomoyo to speak._

"_Ano... where are you going..." Tomoyo looked embarrassed. "Touya," she said quietly._

_Touya chuckled; he's had to remind Tomoyo over and over again to call him by his first name. And every single time, Tomoyo turned red and looked so shy._

"_I'm going to the waterfall, Tomoyo."_

"_The waterfall?" Tomoyo blinked. "Mizuki-sama goes to the waterfall too. Why is that?"_

_Touya held out his hand and Tomoyo hesitated before running over and taking it. Though the day was sunny and warm, Touya's touch felt cool and relaxing to Tomoyo._ _She fell into step with Touya– though his strides were long, Tomoyo worked hard to keep up._

"_To relax. Meditate. Get away from it all."_

"'_Get away from it all?'" Tomoyo looked confused. At this look, Touya laughed and ran his free hand through his shaggy dark hair. (At this gesture, Tomoyo also laughed. "You need a haircut, Touya!")_

_Laughter subsiding, Touya continued to explain. "When you feel stressed and your mind is heavy. Thinking too much can hurt."_

"_What were you thinking about, Touya?"_

_Touya looked down at Tomoyo, his dark eyes narrowing. Tomoyo noticed the odd look that crossed through Touya's eyes and she frowned._

"_What's wrong?" She stopped walking and looked up at Touya with concerned eyes._

_Almost wincing, it was hard for Touya not to recall his conversation with Kaho earlier in the day. Not as much as a conversation but more like a violent dispute from Touya's end._ _Finally, smiling down at Tomoyo, Touya shook his head. "It's nothing. Anyways, want to come with me? It's just down the path."_

_Nodding eagerly, Tomoyo clung to Touya's hand and held tighter. In return, Touya squeezed Tomoyo's hand and made sure she didn't let go._

– – –

Closing her eyes, Tomoyo could practically feel the water trickle down her face and back as she thought about that moment; she and Touya had sat under the waterfall on the huge flat rock that jutted out from the side, "meditating," but she couldn't help giggling and their whole meditation session had turned into one of laughter.

Just like in the Japan and the waterfall near her home, the waterfall area was surrounded by a forest of bamboo, with the occasional bush or different tree specimen. Tomoyo smiled and turned to Eriol. "This place is beautiful."

Nodding once, Eriol smiled back. "I'm glad you like it."

The group stood in silence, relishing in the cool breeze and the quiet sounds of nature around them. It was so serene and Tomoyo swore she could hear the panther purr. (Then again, it made her curious as to why the large panther had come along on this excursion.)

It was silent, until–

"YAAAAAY!" Nakuru cried as she splashed into the river.

Eriol laughed as he tried to shield himself from the spraying water. Spinel lay at the water's edge, curling his corkscrew tail around his body, peeking at Nakuru and giving her indignant looks through one eye. Syaoran preceded to unload their things; food, blankets, towels, and a huge parasol. Meiling looked out onto the water, her staff sitting in the crook of her arm. Sakura busied herself by helping Syaoran.

Tomoyo watched Nakuru splash happily around and chuckled as she see watched Spinel get increasingly annoyed as water occasionally dropped onto his head, making his pointy ear twitch. After awhile, she slipped off her geta and wandered a little away, towards the narrowing length of the river.

She sat herself on a smooth rock and dipped her feet into the smooth, cool water. The chill of the water sent a shiver down her spine. Tomoyo leaned back, staring up at the sky. Leaves provided spots of shade but from the intense sun, the green of the leaves glowed.

"May I join you, Tomoyo-hime?"

Turning her head to face her speaker, Tomoyo put on a polite smile. "Please," she said, gesturing to the spot next to her.

The Emperor did not say any more as he sat himself next to Tomoyo. He, like her, let his bare feet be washed over by the running water.

The two sat in silence, letting the distant and cheerful cries of Nakuru of shift over, mixed with the trickle of the river. Neither felt compelled to fill the silence between them.

"This place is beautiful..." Tomoyo finally said. It wasn't because she found the silence awkward; it was because what she said was true.

"Mmm. We always try to make a trip out here whenever the weather is like this. It's a great chance to relax."

Tomoyo nodded, staring at the numerous bamboo stalks across the river. "It's like we're surrounded by peace."

At that very moment, there was a loud scream and what sounded like evil laughter. That was soon accompanied by a quick string of Chinese in the form of screeching and shouting (which sounded like it was coming from Meiling) and more laughter (from what sounded like Nakuru) and then even louder splashing.

Tomoyo and Eriol glanced at each other. Then they started laughing.

"Peace, yes," Eriol gasped as the their laughter started to die down. "But with Nakuru and Meiling, it really doesn't last long."

Wiping the tear that had formed in her eye, Tomoyo said, "But Meiling-sama seems so serious. I most definitely cannot see her disturbing peace in any way."

Eriol shook his head. "There's a lot about Meiling to be known." And with a sudden turn, Eriol changed the subject. "So are there a lot of areas in Japan like this? You speak about Japan but you don't really seem to hit the fine points of local attractions."

Tomoyo looked at Eriol. "I don't get out much," she replied quietly.

A lie.

Another lie to attach to her ever growing facade of deceit.

Eriol nodded as if he understood. "Forced to stay home? I guess it's not safe for royalty to go trapezing around like we do." Eriol chuckled. "I'm always getting scolded for so recklessly going out like this– but I think I would be fine. My people are kind... and I hope they place their trust in me."

Tomoyo nodded as if she were following this. But instead, her eyes were focused on the bamboo forest across from her.

"So how about your family? You don't talk about them very much." Eriol glanced at Tomoyo, then frowned. "Then again, I don't think you've ever mentioned them."

She had been waiting for this question. She had been waiting ever since her arrival for the question of her family history.

And she was prepared to answer.

"Otou-san was more strict. He liked me to stay in the palace as much as possible. I don't think he really enjoyed doing it but he was probably more concerned for my safety." Tomoyo shrugged as if it didn't bother her much.

"And your mother?"

Tomoyo's back stiffened. "She died when I was young." Her voice had turned cold unintentionally and Eriol had noticed the change. He touched her hand lightly.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

Tomoyo could feel the warmth of Eriol's hand, just like when he had touched her shoulder. She withdrew her hand and did so slowly, not wanting to be rude. She tried to smile and shrugged again. "It's alright. It was a long time ago."

"Now that, um, you're here, who'll take over for your father?" Eriol asked, clearing his throat as he spoke.

Tomoyo couldn't help smiling; she realized that she enjoyed seeing Eriol look a little flustered and embarrassed. It showed her that he was human. Vulnerable.

But then again, she also wanted to avoid the marriage talk.

"Chiharu, my little sister," Tomoyo replied, smiling as she thought of her coastal spy friend and partner in crime, Yamazaki. "She is only two years younger than me." Tomoyo was lucky; she was able to formulate her stories due to China's lack of knowledge of the royal line of Japan. Short and simple. Extra details unnecessary. "What about you, Hiiragizawa-ou? Your family, I mean."

To Tomoyo's surprise, the Emperor looked down at his lap before answering. When he spoke, his face seemed to be etched with an apologetic smile. But why, she wasn't so sure.

"Actually... all of my family is dead."

"Oh!" Tomoyo gasped, hand clutched at her chest. Understanding the pain of that, this time, she was the one that touched Eriol's hand. "Gomen ne..." Firstly, she was surprised from her apology; it was fairly informal, therefore inappropriate and secondly, she was touching the Emperor's hand. She gasped again and quickly withdrew her hand. Unbeknownst to her, a pink tinge spread through her cheeks. Tomoyo looked down at her lap, feeling ashamed.

"Nothing to be sorry about," Eriol said more or less cheerfully. "Honestly."

Fingering the smooth rock and tracing shapes on the surface, Tomoyo wondered about the Emperor. She wondered if he was also wearing a mask. A mask to hide what he was really feeling inside. To lose all of one's family... Tomoyo blinked and realized that a tear had sprung from her eye. She wiped it away. Continuing to wonder if it was possible if Eriol had anything to hide. Using lies to cover it all up. Pretending to be happy to satisfy others. Pretending, just like her...

'_No...' _she thought. _'He's stronger than that... I can tell...'_

"Actually, I'm only the cousin of the previous Emperor," Eriol went on to explain, as if the two didn't share that "awkward" moment. "My cousin didn't have any siblings nor did his wife survive to bear him any children."

Tomoyo made a sympathetic noise and listened intently.

"And so... well, I became Emperor and that's what I've been for the last two years." Eriol shrugged nonchalantly as if being a ruler of a country as large as his was entirely nothing. "Now, those three (four including Spinel) are my family. I've known them almost all my life... actually, we all happen to be related..." Eriol said thoughtfully, as if he just remembered.

Swallowing, Tomoyo's voice came out a little more high pitched than normal. "You mean Meiling-sama and the others?"

Nodding, Eriol smiled. He turned his head to look back up spring. Nakuru's voice could be heard laughing and some protests of being splashed coming from Syaoran and Sakura. Tomoyo took this very moment to get a particular close up look of the Emperor. She was always so busy trying not to feel like she was being x-rayed by him that she never really took in his appearance. Except for the time they first met. His informality was almost blatantly obvious.

His midnight blue hair shown in the sunlight and glowed in the darkness of the shade. His small, thin-wired glasses glinted and behind the lenses, those azure pools of blue twinkled, accompanied by a good hearted grin, directed towards the laughs.

Seeing that smile, Tomoyo felt deep inside that she wanted to smile.

But she didn't. Instead, she stared intently at the side of Eriol's face with a pair of sad eyes. _'We're so much alike...'_

"Tomoyo-hime?"

Tomoyo shook out of her trance, momentarily confused.

"Tomoyo-hime?" Eriol repeated, looking slightly concerned and amused. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, yes, I'm fine." Tomoyo swept her bangs from her eyes and smiled.

"Hey! Lovebirds!" came Nakuru's cheerful voice. (Both Eriol and Tomoyo flinched at "lovebirds.") "Time to chow!" Her voice knew no boundaries; her voice was so clear and loud that it was as if she were right next to the two and not separated by numerous bamboo stalks, bushes, and trees.

"Shall we?" Eriol stood and offered his hand.

Tomoyo eyed it and then met Eriol's eyes. Smiling, she took it.

– – –

"C'mon, Suppi!" coaxed Nakuru. "C'mon!"

The black panther eyed the cooing woman with eyes that clearly thought she were the most boring looking human in the universe. Pouting, Nakuru sat back down, her legs tucked beneath her.

"Suppi-chan's no fun. Of all pets to have, Eriol, and you pick that zero-expression jumble of fur," Nakuru whined as she popped the small piece of cake into her mouth.

"You know Spinel doesn't like sweets," Eriol said. He sounded a little stern but everyone could see the amusement in his eyes.

The group had settled down to enjoy the lunch the palace cook had made. The sun was at it's highest and the water sparkled like a river of diamonds, peacefully rolling down the stream. Nakuru went back to amusing herself by yet again trying to offer a sweet to Spinel (whilst the panther simply rested his chin on his paws, staring at her as if he were set in stone).

Just then, Meiling stood up and stretched, walking to the water's edge. "Mmm... that was good. I could do with a spar. Care to join, Xiaolang?"

"Are you kidding? We came here to relax, not to train for combat." Syaoran lay back onto the ground, using one of the blankets as a pillow.

Meiling's ruby eyes narrowed. "We _always_ spar when we come here."

"That's true," Nakuru voiced. She eyed Syaoran suspiciously. "Are you having stomach pains?"

"It's nothing," Syaoran replied, sounding a little annoyed. He had sat up when Nakuru started talking to him; Tomoyo saw his eyes flit to Sakura for an instant. Tomoyo smiled inwardly.

"Man, you're all so boring," Meiling whined, hands behind her head. She closed her eyes as she lifted her face to the sun's warming light. The she opened one and eyed the group. "Well? Isn't anyone going to offer a challenge?"

"Not me, Meiling, sorry." Nakuru turned back to the panther, who had looked like he was starting to doze off. "I think I can sneak in some sweets into Suppi's jaw while he's napping."

Tomoyo made a mental note of Nakuru's comment; if she were declining now, that only meant she partook in Meiling's spars every now and then. Tomoyo waited.

"Well? Eriol?"

Eriol shook his head after taking a sip of his tea. "You know I could never match up to your skills, Meiling."

Rolling her eyes, Meiling's gaze finally fell upon Tomoyo. Tomoyo returned her gaze innocently while she hold her cup of tea delicately, raised close to her lips as if she were going to take a sip. A corner of Meiling's lips turned up. "Can't escape this one, Princess."

"Oh, leave her alone," Nakuru said as she dug through the assortment of desserts. "She just finished lunch."

Ignoring Nakuru's comment, Meiling continued to talk. "It could be a fun experience." Without waiting for a reply, Meiling picked up two bamboo shafts, shouldering one of them. "Never hurts to try." She held out the remaining pole.

Tomoyo blinked, as if she wasn't sure of what to say. She noticed that Eriol had not commented on this. She also noticed that all the background noises seemed to fade out; Sakura and Syaoran's conversation, Nakuru's coaxing to Spinel, and the trickling of the water seemed to muffle out. All Tomoyo could seem to focus on was maintaining eye contact with Meiling. She could see Meiling's eyes narrow as her grin widened.

And that urge inside her sparked.

Setting down her cup, Tomoyo stood up. Her rise caused everyone to look up, even interrupting Sakura and Syaoran's conversation. "I like a good challenge," Tomoyo said, smiling at Meiling. She grasped the end of the bamboo and took it from Meiling.

Sakura's emerald orbs narrowed ever so slightly, indicating a warning to Tomoyo. Tomoyo ignored it and stepped towards Meiling, barefoot.

"How about we spar out in the water?" Meiling gestured behind her shoulder. "It's solid rock underneath and it's not slippery, just in case you're afraid of falling."

Nodding, Tomoyo followed Meiling out into the water, in front of the waterfall. The hems of Tomoyo's yukata got splashed with water while Meiling's cropped pants were free from the holds of water. Tomoyo pulled her hair into a loose ponytail whilst Meiling flipped her hair over her back. Sakura had stood from her seat, hand grasping her other arm tightly. Her expression was near unreadable.

Feeling the surface beneath her, Tomoyo was surprised that the rock was indeed smooth and flat– but not slippery at all. Somehow, it provided a good grip and Tomoyo stood unwavering upon her feet.

'_Take it easy, Tomoyo,'_ she coached herself. She took a deep breath. _'Take it easy._'

Meiling stood facing Tomoyo, her expression very neutral. Tomoyo smiled in return.

"Remember to take it easy on her!" Nakuru called. "Don't go crazy on the poor girl!"

"Do you mean me or her?" Tomoyo asked, looking innocent. This induced a laugh from both Nakuru and Meiling.

Still smiling, Meiling took up her fighting stance. "Don't worry, Princess. It's all just for fun."

'_I hope so...' _Tomoyo couldn't help thinking. She mimicked Meiling's stance, looking down at her feet, pretending to be unsure. Tomoyo was gripping the pole so hard that her knuckles were starting to turn even whiter than her already pale skin.

At first, the seconds were filled with silence, filled with the movement of the water and the occasionally rustle of leaves. The two figures that stood in the water eyed each other, unblinking. Tomoyo could tell from Meiling's grin and the fire in the eyes that they were practically _daring_ Tomoyo to make the first move.

But she didn't. Because she knew that if she did, it would be all over.

And without another second, Meiling made her move. Tomoyo barely had a moment to gasp as she took a step back and held out the pole defensively.

'"_Just for fun" my ass...'_ Tomoyo thought sarcastically as she pretended to struggle.

"Take it easy, Meiling!" Syaoran called. "Geez!"

"I _am_!" Meiling shouted back as she side swiped.

'_You have _got_ to be kidding...' _Tomoyo thought, hiding a scowl. Each dull clunk when the two bamboo poles made contact came out sharp as possible. _'Stay with it, Tomoyo, stay with it...'_ Taking steps back as she continued to parry Meiling's blows, Tomoyo could feel her grip get tighter and tighter.

Meiling cracked a grin and her ruby eyes sparkled. "You've got excellent reflexes, Princess."

Tomoyo practically winced as she deflected another blow; she felt the power behind it and the loud contact of the two poles connecting was particularly sharp. She forced a smile. "People tell me that."

"Mmm. I'm sure they do." Meiling swung her pole, aiming to side-sweep Tomoyo's legs.

With _extremely_ strong mental will, Tomoyo forced herself to misstep when she leapt back, almost losing her footing. Meiling wasted no time seeing an open target; she had leapt forward, pole positioned as if she planed to make a blow on Tomoyo's head.

At the last second, Tomoyo deflected, feeling the strain on her pole; she was certain it had snap in half any moment. _'She has _got_ to be insane,'_ Tomoyo thought angrily. _'Either she's lost her mind or...'_

"C'mon! Don't make me do all the work!" Meiling laughed. The two were locked together, poles crossed, shaking under the pressure.

Tomoyo almost snapped; she felt that internal self locked down, unable to stay down. In a burst of strength, Tomoyo thrust the pole, sending Meiling back. Tomoyo didn't even have a chance to see the look of surprise on Meiling's face as she charged.

The battle became more intense, if even possible. As the tables turned, Meiling took charge of defense as she fended off Tomoyo. Her face had gone back to set seriousness but the look of surprise hadn't left her eyes. The serene water turned violent as it splashed around the two, drenching each young woman with its unusually cool water.

This, if anything, was a real fight.

At a chance moment, as Tomoyo had struck a blow so hard that she chopped Meiling's shaft right in half, Tomoyo's eyes had flitted towards the group on the banks and she saw it.

She saw the look of horror on Sakura's face.

And Tomoyo realized her fatal mistake.

Meiling jumped at her second chance, sweeping Tomoyo off her feet, making her land hard on the rock bottom. But Tomoyo didn't even notice her own fall.

All she could see were the dropped jaws of Nakuru, Syaoran, and Sakura, who all stood at the bank like statues.

All that, and the emotionless, unreadable azure eyes of the Emperor.

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_minna-san_: everyone, everybody

_geta_: Japanese wooden clogs/sandals

This chapter (and story, actually) is my test of how I do on describing fight sequences— I know it's not really that descriptive— so therefore, I shall hope to improve as I go on! I'll shut up and let you guys do the talking. Sorry for the long wait on this chappi –bows head–


	8. The Porcelain Doll

–runs in– omg! I'm so incredibly sorry for the late update! I know I said at _least_ once a month but it seems like I haven't updated for months! sorries! I've been so busy with school and extracurricular junk— I hope you'll forgive me! I _did_ have this chappi done but I decided to extend it so I dint hafta include it in the next chappi– it fit better into this chappi anyway.

**IMPORTANT NOTE: **wonderful wonderful Pandora-chan has made a beautiful picture of tomoyo and given to dear ol' me as gift art and I would love more than anything to share it with all of you! Tomoyo's outfit complements with the description of her kimono from the chappi where tomoyo arrives to china and meets eriol and and and– —jumps up and down from excitement— it's so beautiful! Check out my livejournal (which is my **homepage link on my user page**) and it should be posted in one of the entries.

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CHAPTER EIGHT: The Porcelain Doll

"_Tomoyo... I never wanted this life for you..."_

_Troubled dark brown eyes surveyed her through a curtain of shaggy bangs._

"_Please... please try to understand. Try to understand what you must do."_

_She almost stepped away. She _wanted _to step away._

_But she didn't. "But I don't understand..." she said softly._

_He didn't say it. But he thought it. 'Neither do I.' He held it out for her, wrapped in black silk. It was within arm's reach, but she didn't reach for it. She merely stared and craved to see whatever she could see with her strained lavender eyes. She searched... but there was nothing to see._

"_I... I don't understand," she repeated._

_He didn't blink. Neither did she. But her eyes begged for an explanation. A way out. A mutual understanding._ _But she couldn't read his expression. His eyes. They were too clouded with seriousness to see what was behind the facade._

_Touya stood patiently, still holding out the package wrapped in silk. With hesitation, Tomoyo reached out._

_As her fingers swept over the water-like texture of the silk, she felt like someone wrapped their hand around her heart and gave a good squeeze. When her fingers had made contact with the silk, all went dark. Her heart hurt as that imaginary hand clenched harder and harder. She was struggling for air._

_Her eyes screaming pain, Tomoyo forced her eyes open and saw blood all over her hands._

_Her own blood._

_She looked up... and all she could see were those azure eyes. Those azure eyes that always gave presence. Those azure eyes that were endless oceans of mystery. Those azure eyes that Tomoyo could fall into for hours and hours..._

_And those eyes were boring into hers and all Tomoyo could do was scream when no one could hear her._

– – –

Tomoyo woke with a gasp, sitting straight up, breathing labored. Her head tossed from side to side, trying to recognize where she was. The sun was weak and the skies were masked with grey, streaky clouds. The morning was young.

Her forehead was drenched with sweat and Tomoyo continued to breath heavily. Her hand was clutched at her chest, as if making sure her heart were still beating inside her chest.

It was a memory. A distant memory mixed with a nightmare. A nightmare that Tomoyo prayed would never come to pass.

Knock knock.

Tomoyo had stiffened at the light knocks. Trying to regain composure, she cleared her throat and called, "Come in," but her voice was gravelly and strained, _extremely_ unlike her melodic voice.

The grand doors to her bedroom opened and Sakura stepped in. As soon as she closed the doors (and locked them, Tomoyo noted), Sakura strode to Tomoyo's bedside with extreme haste that almost made Tomoyo feel dizzy.

"_What_ the _hell_ was _that_ display yesterday?" Sakura seethed, catching her friend off guard. It was rare to see Sakura so uptight and... well, pretty angry. "That" was spoken as if it were the greatest taboo known to mankind. And in Tomoyo's case, it almost was.

Giving a deep sigh, Tomoyo's back plopped back onto the bed and Tomoyo covered her eyes. She was in no mood to answer.

"_Well_?" Sakura pressed, folding her arms.

Clearing her throat, Tomoyo took another chance at sounding normal. When she opened her mouth to speak, she was satisfied to hear it _some_what back to its regular tune. "Nothing. It was nothing."

"_Nothing_?" Sakura jumped, flailing her arms about like a mad woman (which she just happen to be so, at the moment). "_Nothing_!" she screeched.

Tomoyo wasn't about to admit it but Sakura's emphasis on her words were starting to get really annoying. "Listen, it was a mistake. It slipped."

Sakura was about to open her mouth but Tomoyo cut her off as she sat up. "And yes, I know. A horribly bad mistake. But it happened. There's nothing I can do to erase that." Her voice was quiet, yet forceful and serene. She knew her mistake and she knew that there could be consequences.

The two friends were now staring at each other. Sakura still looked a little huffy, wanting to point out how reckless Tomoyo had been, or how her decision had put the entire mission at risk.

But as her Tomoyo's best friend, she didn't. Because she knew Tomoyo was right; it happened and that was that. What would come after was the only question.

Seeing that her friend was appeased, Tomoyo got out of bed– a little shakily, at that. She ran her fingers through her dark waves of hair and sighed again.

After Tomoyo's show of magnificent show of combat skills the day before, the whole entire group had been thrown into a fit of silence. After a unnaturally long silence, Nakuru was the one who had the decency to act like nothing had happened, had called out in her happy-go-lucky voice, "Princess! Get out of that water or else you'll catch a cold!"

Tomoyo's eyes were transfixed on Sakura; Sakura's emerald orbs were open so wide that Tomoyo almost wanted to scream at Sakura to blink. Anything to get away from that look– the look of horror.

When Tomoyo's eyes were connected to that of the Emperor, Tomoyo wasn't sure how to feel. She searched, trying to find some type of reaction from him, but to her dismay, she found nothing. Eriol just stared, unblinking, his face expressionless.

The group's ride home was covered with painful silence. Even Nakuru couldn't bring herself to say something witty. Upon arrival of the palace, Tomoyo had excused herself politely and locked herself in her room where she stayed for the rest of the day.

Slightly wobbling, Tomoyo walked to the jug of water and splashed some of its contents over her face.

"Tomoyo-chan?" Sakura asked, looking worried. Her hand was outstretched, as if she were waiting to catch Tomoyo if she fell.

Shaking her head, Tomoyo raised a hand, signaling that she was alright. After taking a gulp of water, Tomoyo turned to Sakura. "Will you help me get dressed?"

Replying with a sigh, Sakura tilted her head with a soft smile that she couldn't quite keep down.

– – –

Knock knock. This time the knocking was not at Tomoyo's doors but at those of the Emperor's.

"C'mon in," called the deep voice from within.

Taking a deep breath, Tomoyo pushed open the doors and strode in.

The hem of Tomoyo's kimono trailed behind her; today, she wore a mellow green kimono, scattered with the designs of autumn leaves– red, orange, and yellow. Her obi was a deep red to set off the cool green. Her hair was pulled into a low and loose bun, adorned with simple hair pieces made of strings of beads with leaf charms dangling off the end.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Hiiragizawa-ou," Tomoyo said softly as she bowed.

The Emperor was standing by the vast window of the library looking up from a scroll. He merely nodded to acknowledge Tomoyo. Tomoyo noted that there was no trace of an expression on his face.

For once, Tomoyo found that she was lost for words. She couldn't bring herself to talk about yesterdays events nor even attempt to explain himself. Her lips slightly parted, her voice did not sing and there was silence. Tomoyo merely stared.

Eriol watched Tomoyo, waiting for her to say something because he knew that was why she sought him so early in the morning.

Seeing her yesterday... left him completely empty. It was like he was lost in pure serenity as he watched Tomoyo spar with Meiling. As if he were meditating without even trying. He couldn't bring himself to even think a thought and it bothered the young Emperor.

Eriol was especially surprised when he saw Tomoyo fall; he had expected her to shatter. Tomoyo seemed to be like a delicate centerpiece. Or to put it more in perspective, she was a porcelain doll. Her pale, glowing skin, her captivating eyes– everything about her was perfect. Purely flawless.

Seeing Tomoyo in front of him with considerable distance between them, and seeing her lost for words made him chuckle. He re-rolled the scroll, eyes still locked with Tomoyo's.

"Tomoyo-hime?" he prompted.

Tomoyo blinked, looking surprised. "Oh!"

Placing the scroll back into a drawer, Eriol smiled politely. "You wanted to talk to me?"

"Oh, hai." Tomoyo stood tall, staring into Eriol's eyes to show she was not easily intimidated. "I wanted to apologize for my behavior yesterday," she said smoothly.

The Emperor chuckled and leaned against the wall, folding his arms. (Tomoyo wished he wouldn't do that– somehow it stirred something within her.) "And why are you apologizing?"

"I feel it was inappropriate."

"And who declares what is or what is not appropriate?" the Emperor countered, still wearing his semi-amused smile.

"Do _you_ feel it was inappropriate?" Tomoyo questioned without hesitation.

"I feel it was an excellent display of reflexes."

"And is that all you saw, Hiiragizawa-ou?" Tomoyo prompted. She couldn't quite predict the outcome of the conversation and she was trusting in fate to decide.

"Tomoyo-hime..." the Emperor said slowly, as if encouraging the princess to speak. He walked slowly towards her, watching for a reaction.

There wasn't one; Tomoyo stood as still and as straight as she had, a look of power in her stand.

"Yes, Hiiragizawa-ou?" Tomoyo started to fiddle her fingers within the sleeves of her kimono. She just knew that the Emperor was trying to fill in the spacious gap between the two and every time the two stood closer than they should have, Tomoyo felt her heart race just a little faster.

"The only thing I find inappropriate is you being so formal," Eriol said quietly, looking down at Tomoyo from the short distance that separated the two. And the space was _very _short. So short that it was essentially violating Tomoyo's personal space.

Lifting her chin so she could meet Eriol's eyes, Tomoyo said, a little stiffly, "And what do you intend to do about that?"

"I intend, as hypocritical as this is, to order you to call me by my first name."

Feeling very stubborn, Tomoyo didn't respond. Or, it wasn't really like she could respond; as usual, she was just falling and falling into those eyes. Until Tomoyo recalled her nightmare and almost winced as she thought she could feel a tight pain in her chest. So instead, she replied in a quiet manner, bowing her head. "As you wish."

"Aah, you may promise but will you say it?" Eriol asked lightly. Tomoyo swore the young Emperor was teasing her... and she wasn't wrong.

"You have ordered me to do so and so I shall."

"Then will you please say it?" Eriol asked politely. He had resumed wearing his amused smile.

Tomoyo's lips parted but no sound came. She bit her lip and unconsciously, she gave the Emperor the look of a child asking "do I _really_ have to" when asked to do a humiliating task. It was in this moment when he saw that look on her face when the Emperor realized...

Smiling, he nodded.

Tomoyo took a deep breath. "Alright... then I guess I will have to call you... Eriol."

Eriol. What a name to roll off her tongue.

But Eriol could see the twinkle in Tomoyo's eyes after she spoke his name. He delighted at seeing this but only nodded. "Yes... that will do, Tomoyo-hime."

Out of respect, Tomoyo said the only thing that seemed the most respectful and most obvious thing to do.

"If I must call you by your first name, I ask that you do the same for me." After all, would it not be rude for the Emperor to address Tomoyo with her honorifics while he himself had not a spoken one?

Eriol's eyebrow went up. "Meaning...?"

Tomoyo took another deep breath. (She felt her entire morning had consisted of deep breaths so far). "Please... call me Tomoyo. Just... Tomoyo."

The Emperor tapped his chin, looking thoughtfully at the ceiling. "I s'pose... it's only fair." When Eriol's gaze fell back on Tomoyo, he nodded. "Just... Tomoyo. Yes... I like that."

Tomoyo found herself smiling. _'Me too...'_

"Now I must ask, Tomoyo, do explain how you learned all those excellent moves yesterday," the Emperor said conversationally. He gestured towards a long couch for Tomoyo to sit.

In return, Tomoyo merely smiled, all ready with her clever answer.

– – –

"Your father is a smart man, Tomoyo."

"Hai, I agree," Tomoyo replied, staring straight ahead.

The Emperor and the Princess walked side by side down the outer corridors of the palace. The clouds had wisped away, allowing the sun to peek through and shed a little light. It wasn't bright and sunny but it wasn't grey and murky– a decent day.

"I had no idea some people were so violent," Eriol mused. "Yes... it's incredibly smart for your father to have you invest in self defense."

Tomoyo inwardly smiled. She had fed the Emperor an almost ridiculous story of how her father, the Emperor of Japan, had many enemies, those of which had made many attempts on Tomoyo's life. She had made it sound so believable that she was almost surprised at herself.

'_If I didn't have this whacked out job, I would have done well as a storyteller...'_ Tomoyo had thought, making her stifle a laugh.

"People can be incredibly cruel in wanting to take another's life," Eriol said almost sadly, shaking his head.

Tomoyo stiffened but continued to walk alongside the Emperor.

"Life is so precious... sometimes it's a shame it can last only so long..." Eriol continued sadly, more to himself than to Tomoyo.

Noticing Tomoyo's silence, Eriol stopped and chuckled. "I'm sorry. Had a pessimistic moment there. Let's not talk about that, okay?"

Tomoyo looked back at Eriol, with an unreadable face. But her eyebrow went up.

"Okay, okay," Eriol laughed, catching her hint. "_I_ won't walk about anything sad, deal?"

Replying with a small smile, Tomoyo nodded.

"Oh!" Eriol's eyes lit up. "I forgot!"

Before Tomoyo could inquire as to what Eriol had forgotten, she found her hand being grabbed by the Emperor and thus found herself being dragged down the halls. Ahead of her, Eriol was talking excitedly as Tomoyo tried to find her footing, stumbling along with way. Tomoyo found herself being pulled through numerous corridors and what seemed to be hidden doorways.

By the time Tomoyo was able to coordinate her steps with Eriol's, he came to a stop, causing Tomoyo to crash into his back.

Feeling a slight tingling sensation in her nose, Tomoyo sniffed and twitched her nose. She straightened up and peeked behind Eriol's shoulder.

She no longer found herself standing in a long corridor; Tomoyo found herself in a jungle of a garden. She was surrounded by shades of green, pink– almost every shade of the rainbow. Behind a bushel of bamboo stalks was a low bridge over a pond of pink and white lotuses.

Jaw dropped and mouth shaped like an 'o,' Tomoyo stood in silence.

"_This_, is _my_ garden." Eriol's tone of voice signified great pride and it was clear he was wearing a huge smile.

If the garden couldn't be any prettier, the sun shined at the perfect angle, illuminating the green of the leaves, and the numerous colors scattered throughout the garden. A gentle breeze caused petals of a nearby blossom tree to brush across Tomoyo's face. The string of beads woven through her hair created a quiet wind chime.

"I..." Tomoyo breathed. Her eyes shifted to the side, watching wistfully as the petals glided through the air. But her eyes turned sad, following the path of the petals.

Eriol, who had turned his head back to look at Tomoyo, saw the narrowed purple eyes. His smile immediately faded and his eyes filled with concern.

"Tomoyo?" he asked, squeezing Tomoyo's hand.

Feeling the pressure on her hand, she gasped. Her eyes flitted to her hand and she only just realized that the Emperor was still holding it. An irrepressible blush spread across her cheeks. Seeing the blush, Eriol's eyes widened at the sudden realization; he dropped Tomoyo's hand abruptly.

"Sorry!" he said, speaking as if he were nervous.

Seeing the Emperor's flustered face made Tomoyo muster up a small smile. She shook her head. "It's alright." Soaking in her surroundings, Tomoyo then looked at Eriol. "This place is amazing. Do you tend to this garden yourself?"

Nodding happily, Eriol waved his hand, gesturing to all the plants. "This is my place to get away from it all. Just me and the flowers."

"Get away from it all..." Tomoyo whispered under her breath. Her sad eyes re-emerged, but before Eriol could ask what was wrong, Tomoyo had walked slowly towards a blooming magnolia tree. She reached out to the lowest branch and delicately fingered the petals of the magnolia.

"Tomoyo?" Eriol's face fell into a confused and concerned state. As he spoke her name, it came out as a whisper and was lost in the breeze.

"Flowers are a beautiful and sad thing," Tomoyo said softly. "In their prime, they are the beauty of the world. But that beauty can only last so long. Life is so precious..." Tomoyo quoted Eriol's own words and adopted the same facial expression he had worn as he had said those words. "The life of a flower is about exposing... sharing its beauty. But as that life ends, the beauty dies. Flowers are a fragile thing."

Eriol stood silently, listening calming yet intently.

"Beauty isn't forever. Flowers are sad things... pure, raw beauty... wasted. We stand here, basked in their beauty, and all we can do is stare until they wither and die. They're not meant to last." At this moment, Tomoyo turned to look back at Eriol. "Where is the beauty in that?"

Lost for words, the only thing Eriol could say was, "So I should stop having those fresh-cut flowers sent to your room?" When those words left his mouth, Eriol mentally smacked himself. He couldn't also bring himself to close his dropped jaw; he was still stunned by Tomoyo's sad speech.

A corner of Tomoyo's mouth turned up. It was a smile– sad, but nonetheless, a smile.

"Thank you for showing me your garden, Eriol. It's a beautiful place." Still wearing her sad smile, Tomoyo turned and barely brushed past Eriol, exiting the garden.

It was the first time Eriol had seen Tomoyo walk with her head down.

– – –

The moon was slipping away as grey clouds resumed their posts in covering the night light. Tomoyo sat at a chair by the window, staring wistfully at the moon. On the side table next to her was an elaborate vase filled with various flowers, no doubt cut from the gardens of the palace.

A soft tapping noise alerted Tomoyo's ears and she turned to look at the door. "Yes?"

The door creaked open a sliver and Eriol's head popped in.

"May I come in?"

Tomoyo nodded and stood from her seat. She bowed her head slightly in greeting.

"How may I help you?" Tomoyo inquired, her eyes curious.

Again, Eriol couldn't help grinning at the princess' formality, but he paid it no mind. "Actually, I wanted to see if you were alright. You seemed very quiet at dinner."

Mustering up a smile, Tomoyo shook her head. "Long day, that's all."

Not commenting on her reply, the Emperor merely nodded. "I hope you don't mind me intruding into your bedroom, Tomoyo," Eriol said, looking a little embarrassed. "I just wanted to see if you were okay... after your talk in the garden."

"I apologize for that, Eriol," Tomoyo said, a little hesitant at speaking the Emperor's name. "I was... I was a little lost in my own world, so to speak."

"I understand what you mean. And I understand what you were talking about, in regards to flowers..." Eriol's hand reached out to touch the flowers in the vase but he ended up setting his hand on the table. "But really, when flowers bloom, they _are_ the beauty of the world. They're there for us to marvel at. Some of the deepest thinkers can see heaven in a simple flower. It's something that we enjoy while it lasts. Just like life. Beauty doesn't last, Tomoyo, but while is does, we should learn to cherish it."

There was a moment of silence between the two. Tomoyo looked thoughtful but frightfully sad, as she had in the garden earlier that day. She strode to another table and poured herself a glass of water. She swirled the contents in her cup, looking at the whirlpool inside. Instead of drinking the water, she set it back down at walked back to the window. Finally, she turned back to look at Eriol.

"Sometimes... I just wish that I did not have to sit back and watch things die. Sometimes I wish that something as a beautiful and simple as flower... could last forever."

There was another short silence where Eriol tried hard to read Tomoyo's face. But she was too far gone for him. All she was the mist and fog that he tried to grab. All she was was mystery. And Eriol got the feeling that it would stay that way for a long time.

With a small nod and soft smile, Eriol said quietly, "Oyasumi... Tomoyo." And with that last word, Eriol excused himself and quietly shut the bedroom doors.

Tomoyo did not reply for she had turned back to look out the window. The moon was officially veiled by the clouds but Tomoyo could see it's glowing outline. She almost smiled to herself; the moon never fails to shine.

When she finally turned around, she strode back to reach for her glass of water.

Sitting next to her glass was a small origami flower.

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_oyasumi/oyasuminasai_: good night

Feedback is my nutrition in the fanfic world– please share. **Plus, I got accepted into my first choice college– please shower me with gifts of reviews! –grins–**


	9. Planning Committee of One

**WOW. it has been over a year. ... oh man has it been more than that? even so, i'm sorry for the unannounced hiatus. life happens. high school happened. college happens. dead ends and massive writer's blocks happen. i want to thank those who continued to read and review in my absence and i thank those who will continue, after all this time!**

**as always, please review and let me know your thoughts. i want to know where and what i can improve upon!!**

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CHAPTER NINE: Planning Committee of One

Knockknockknockknockknock.

Tomoyo groaned as the steady stream of 'knocks' passed through her brain as a signal of someone wanting in. She felt that in the more recent days she had not been woken up at her own leisure but by someone's desperation to speak with her. Oh, and the pounding on her door thing didn't really help much.

"Yes, just a minute," Tomoyo said in a patient voice , as clearly as she could, as the knocking continued to pound against her door. Before Tomoyo could even pull back her blankets–

"GOOOOOOOD MORNING, PRINCESS!!"

"Now, now, Nakuru," came a second voice, much deeper and more worried than the first. "It's incredibly rude to burst into people's rooms and–"

"Did you sleep well?!" Nakuru's excited voice asked. "Are you hungry?! Should we go get some breakfast?!" The bright eyed woman bustled around Tomoyo's bed, pelting the sleepy eyed girl with question after question.

"Um, yes, thank you very much," Tomoyo replied, unsure of which question she had just answered. (The answer was truthfully 'no' to all three questions.) She had sat up and was blinking furiously, trying not to be overwhelmed by Nakuru's energetic presence. Her positive energy was practically _reeking _off of her. Behind Nakuru, Eriol was smiling apologetically at Tomoyo. Clearly he didn't have much reign over his advisor.

In a fluid motion, Nakuru's arm linked through Tomoyo's and with a great lurch, Tomoyo was dragged out of bed, taking half her blankets with her.

"It's planning day!!" Nakuru cried with the gusto of an announcer. Through heavy lidded eyes, Tomoyo could see that Sakura and Syaoran had now crowded at the door, watching the spectacle. Nakuru paraded Tomoyo throughout the room.

_Must everyone witness this moment of embarrassment? _Tomoyo thought as she gave a half exasperated smile to her audience. _Oh, lovely, there's Meiling._

"P-planning for what?" Tomoyo asked, stifling a yawn. Nakuru had abandoned her, now going through Tomoyo's chest of clothes. ("Oh no, Nakuru-sama, please allow me to do that!" Sakura cried as Nakuru flung out stacks of carefully folded kimono.)

The royal advisor to the Emperor of China whirled around, hands on her hips, wearing a truly disturbing triumphant smile.

"Your wedding, silly!"

. . .

If there was ever a moment in her life where Tomoyo had forgotten how to breathe, this was the moment.

Her mouth had dropped open and she was not the only one. Eriol's mouth was in a crooked smile with one eyebrow raised, in a mixed expression of past amusement and presently being caught off guard and half stunned. He swore his glasses had suddenly gone lopsided.

"W-wedding?" Tomoyo repeated, her voice hushed. Good God she had totally forgotten the _"purpose"_ of her arrival to China.

"Ho ho ho!" laughed Nakuru, her hand covering her lips, looking positively notorious. "Do not think I have forgotten, Princess! You thought you could avoid this after for being here for over a two months? I think NOT!"

Oh, goodness, she _had_ been here for over two months, just shy of three months. What in all the hells had she been doing?! Tomoyo frantically rewound her memory as Nakuru continued with her "Ho ho ho" laughter. She had explored about half the palace and could find all the fastest and easiest routes around the corridors. She knew where all the closest people in the Emperor's court slept and where they liked to spend their free time. (Though she was disturbed to see that Syaoran now seemed to like to spend more of his time picnicking with Sakura in the bamboo garden...)

Tomoyo still had unturned stones to flip over and many other things to think through... She had spent as little time as she could in Eriol's company, reassuring him she could keep herself occupied. She would not deny the man had an uncanny ability of showing up wherever she was... Did he not have anyone else to bother? Then again, they _were_ supposed to be married and he didn't even know what her favorite color or what her favorite food was... Maybe he was stalking her to find those things out? Or maybe–

"Tomoyo?"

The lady in question groaned, eyes scrunched in displeasure of her thoughts.

"Tomoyo?" Nakuru repeated. She had not noticed Tomoyo nor Eriol's reaction to the 'w' word, or had chosen to ignore it. "I'm thinking you should wear this today. It's a little cold. Not that it will matter, seeing as you and I and your lovebird will be spending the day indoors planning!!"

Tomoyo blanched. _Lovebird... Auuuugh, who _invented_ that word?!_

Thankfully, Sakura hurried to Tomoyo's side, trying to hide a knowing smile. "That is a lovely choice, Nakuru-sama! I think I should help Tomoyo-hime dress so we can all have breakfast and, um, get down to planning."

"Yes, yes," Nakuru nodded her head, mistaking Sakura's rush for matched enthusiasm. "We will be waiting in the dining area!" Without another word, she shooed away the other three, practically having had to pick up the stunned Eriol to get him out of the room. As soon as the door slammed shut, Tomoyo slowly turned to look at Sakura.

"Wedding?" She all but whispered the cursed word. It took Sakura's all to not burst out in laughter.

"Cheer up, Tomoyo-chan, we won't even be here long enough for that! Hmm... this kimono _was_ a good choice!"

"Dunno what the Emperor is all shocked about," Tomoyo mumbled. "He knew this was coming."

Laughing cheerfully, Sakura helped Tomoyo dress in her first layer. ("It's a little chilly. Maybe a couple layers will do it.") "You forgot too, Tomoyo. You should've seen the look on both your faces... Well, you're both young and it _is_ an arranged marriage. It's no wonder it came as a shock. Marriage is a big deal."

"Sakura-chan, you're only a month younger than me," Tomoyo pointed out. She sighed as Sakura began to tie the obi around her waist. "Wait a second." Her eyes narrowed. "You just said we wouldn't be staying long enough. But now you're acting like we're actually planning to go through this... wedding. Like it's a real thing."

Sakura paused in mid-wrap. Then shrugging, she continued. "Just got carried away. Besides, didn't Kaho-sama say something about one year?"

"She said by next winter, but the earlier the better," Tomoyo corrected.

"Well wouldn't it be less suspicious if we were here a little longer?" Sakura said carefully, her tone still cheerful.

_This is why you would never understand. Making ties the way you do... Could you really leave Syaoran behind? It was a mistake to bring you... This is why I work alone. Why I was... _will_ always be alone. Because you would never understand what it is like... _Tomoyo clenched her eyes shut, reflexively tilting her head back.

"There we go!" Sakura stood up as she gave the obi a good tug. Standing in front of Tomoyo, she took her hand in both of hers. "Tomoyo-chan... I haven't forgotten what we've come here for. We need to be reasonable. Everyone anticipated that this would take time. We need to make sure everything will fall through. We can't afford to make a mistake."

Sakura's intense emerald eyes searched Tomoyo's lavender ones, as if wanting to hear an acknowledgment from her friend. Tomoyo knew Sakura spoke the truth. But she was still too naive.

Tomoyo walked swiftly to her door, Sakura walking behind. Tomoyo stopped, hand an inch from the door.

"Tomoyo-chan?"

Without turning around, Tomoyo said quietly, "Don't get too attached, Sakura-chan." Smoothly opening the door, Tomoyo walked through, leaving Sakura standing behind her, staring at her back.

– – –

After a breakfast mainly filled with Nakuru's blabbing, Tomoyo and Eriol were promptly marched into Nakuru's study.

"I'm sorry about this, Tomoyo," Eriol whispered, "Nakuru's very... um, enthusiastic about this... wedding."

In any other situation, Tomoyo would have found it amusing to see the Emperor also stumble over the 'w' word. But seeing as she was half the joining party, she found this nothing but. She merely managed to nod a little stiffly.

Eriol smiled to himself, encouraged by even the smallest recognition from Tomoyo, even after Nakuru's surprise announcement this morning; it had certainly brought everyone back to the light of coming events. Eriol himself was shocked by Nakuru's sudden declaration of ceremony. He had actually forgotten that that was the true purpose of Tomoyo's arrival. He had been too absorbed with being amused with tailing Tomoyo and her flustered surprise at his sudden appearances. He found it quite adorable.

"So!" Nakuru, all business-like, stood in front of the two, finger tapping her cheek. "Most important! When is this great ceremony taking place?"

The younger two glanced each other, almost grimacing at Nakuru's intensity.

"Right! The spring it is!"

_Spring?! _Tomoyo panicked. That was less than months away. By Eriol's startled face, Tomoyo could tell he was thinking the same thing.

"Um, Akizuki-sama," Tomoyo started, feeling very small in the advisor's presence.

"What will you be wearing?!" Nakuru demanded.

"Ah! Um, I don't know..." Tomoyo shot Eriol a look, as if desperately asking for help. With a crooked grin, Eriol shrugged, clearly amused.

"Okay you have two options! You can wear a kimono or something in the Chinese style. Do you have a preference?"

Did she even have a choice?

"Okay!" Nakuru cried, before Tomoyo could even respond. It was as if she were having a conversation with herself. "I'll have both styles made and you can pick! Eriol, it doesn't really matter what you wear, no one's really going to be looking at you."

"Thanks a bundle, Nakuru," Eriol replied, rolling his eyes.

"China knows what you look like. It doesn't matter, everyone will be looking at Princess Tomoyo, anyway."

_Whaa-?! This isn't fair... The Emperor is getting out easy! _Tomoyo thought to herself bitterly. She wasn't aware that she was chewing her lip until she noticed the gaze of azure eyes pointed her way.

"Is there something on my face?" Tomoyo asked hesitantly.

Eriol didn't answer but continued to stare. His crooked grin was still there; he looked entertained and curious at the same time. Shaking his head, Tomoyo could hear that he was chuckling under his breath.

An instant rush of heat flooded the princess's cheeks and she was thankful that Nakuru was preoccupied with pacing up and down her study, mumbling details to herself. _What is going on?!_ Tomoyo had to resist very hard from clapping her hands to her cheek, though it would have been quite futile; her cheeks were all but on fire. No, no, something was wrong– Tomoyo did not _blush_ for the likes of the self-proclaimed Emperor of China.

Tomoyo contented herself by staring very intently at her lap.

– – –

Tomoyo blinked for the umpteenth time in the last hour. She saw beyond the ceiling because she was merely preoccupied with her personal nightmare that echoed within her ears.

"_Oh ho ho ho! And then we can have Sakura-chan in pink! Do you think she would object to being a flower girl? We can have her shower petals of cherry blossoms behind you! Mmm... we'll have to collect petals from the Southern courtyard. Eriol, you don't mind taking care of that, do you? I know how much you enjoy spending time in all the gardens. Oh, you're such a dear, I knew I could count on you. And then we'll have Meiling standing at the front maybe on the right side? No, no, make that the left side. I better call in for the newest silks so Meiling can choose a print that she likes for a robe. Why she never likes what I pick out for her, I don't know. And Xiaolang..."_

Tomoyo shook her head violently, side to side, no doubt tangling strands of her hair. _Make it stop!_ _Make it stop! _Tomoyo mentally screamed. Nakuru's voice went on and on, like a never ending monologue. The insomnia stricken princess didn't want to hear anything about the palanquin that would carry her to the palace gates (what was the point of that if she was already living in the palace?!) or anything about the possibility of getting Spinel Sun to wear a bow, and she most certainly did _not_ want to hear anymore details pertaining to her wedding day attire!

"It's useless," Tomoyo muttered to herself, as she threw back her covers and sat up. "I will never be able to get in two words at the rate Akizuki-sama is going."

With the announcement of planning day, Nakuru had ordered all the royal cooks to brew up numerous sample dishes. And when ones says numerous in Nakuru terms, it means _numerous._ Eriol objected profusely ("Nakuru, please do _not_ put my cooks through this _ridiculously _unnecessary trouble...") and of course, Nakuru didn't listen.

Tomoyo would not deny it; every dish she got to sample was absolutely delicious. _Maybe they'll have some left overs in the kitchen... I could use a pork bun or something... _Quietly shutting her door, Tomoyo crept into the hall.

Over two months of creeping around the Emperor's palace taught her two important things: Number one, security was ridiculously lax around these parts. Number two, because of reason number one, Tomoyo had every right to be suspicious. Barely any guards anywhere? Unless this was reverse psychology, Tomoyo almost refused to believe the Emperor was really as stupid as she thought he was. But observing him all this time and between the way he acted and how he ran his country, it wouldn't really surprise her. Everything was too laid back. This remark was a double edged sword. Eriol himself was so laid back that the essence of his lifestyle infected everyone around him. The only time Tomoyo had met resistance was on her first day in the palace; the guards had not let her closer than thirty yards near the Emperor's throne.

Tomoyo sighed. Though it was unnecessary, she walked within the shadows. At this point, it wasn't a precaution, just a habit. Slipping into the kitchen, she immediately began to rummage through the ice boxes.

Once she did, she stiffened and whipped around, hair flying around her.

"It's you."

Tomoyo's spectator stared back silently. Relaxing slightly, Tomoyo went back to her scavenging, trying to ignore the intent stare of eyes that were practically burning a hole through her back.

"What?" Tomoyo asked, annoyed. She had finally found a couple buns and was now looking for a way to reheat them.

The black panther sat on it's hunches, unmoved. It sat in the shadows. The only thing that gave away its position was the gleam of its light green eyes.

_I guess the household pet gets hungry every now and then. _Tomoyo grabbed a mini bamboo steamer from a shelf and placed her findings inside.

Spinel watched Tomoyo move silently back and forth, lighting a fire, pouring water into a pan, and setting the steamer on top. Only his eyes moved.

_Better find him something before he feels like eating me..._ Rummaging around the cupboards, Tomoyo unearthed what looked to be moon cake. Shrugging, she cut off a generous slice, plopped it on a plate and set it on the ground.

"For you," Tomoyo said, gesturing. In response, Spinel flicked his tail. Otherwise, he didn't move. Tomoyo got the continuous feeling that the Emperor's pet hadn't taken much of a liking to her. In her presence, the panther's eyes would always narrow, as if scrutinizing her every move.

_He sees through me..._ Tomoyo thought, almost amused. She turned back to her pork buns. Wisps of steam started to seep through the steamers. _Smart animal..._

Finally, as if bored, the panther slinked forward, sniffing Tomoyo's offering. Spinel looked up at Tomoyo, contemplating if there was an ulterior motive behind this gift. Sniffing once more, and deciding it was safe, Spinel ate the slice in two meager bites.

Plenty of steam was billowing through the steamer and Tomoyo eagerly poked her pork buns. Now that they were at her desired temperature, she plopped them onto a plate ("Oh! Ah! Hot!") and responsibly put out the stove fire.

Placing her plate onto the center counter, Tomoyo noticed again the gaze of intense green.

"Done already?" Thinking the panther still looked hungry, Tomoyo cut another slice of cake, this time larger. "I'm sure Hiiragizawa won't object."

Tomoyo shifted into a relaxed mood as she gracefully ate her pork bun. Her silent companion wasn't too bad, as long as he wasn't trying to wage a staring contest with her. Turning to look at her unusual companion, Tomoyo was shocked to see it walking towards her, quite unstably, his heavy paws pounding the floor. Spinel even shook his head as if confused by his awkward steps.

Not moving, faint words marred by slight death threats from another were drifting back through Tomoyo's head...

"_Y'know, I _did_ hear that the Emperor of China has a live panther and it eats whoever displeases the Emperor and the panther is allergic to sweets and when it _does_ eat sweets–"_

"Not allergic..." Tomoyo said quietly. After thinking for a second, her eyebrow shot up. "Oh my goodness... Are you _drunk_?" Tomoyo inquired with interest, as if she expected the panther to respond.

Spinel still teetered on unstable legs, eventually bumped his head against Tomoyo's leg. Tomoyo watched with fascination, her half-eaten pork bun forgotten in her hands.

And Tomoyo laughed.

And it was peals of bells and delicate wind-chimes in the breeze.

Her first true laugh in a long long time.

As Tomoyo's laughs subsided, Spinel, eyes looking a tad hazy, plopped down on the floor heavily, confused with Tomoyo's delightedness. Wiping away tears whilst kneeling, Tomoyo offered the panther the other half of pork bun and hesitantly petted Spinel's snout.

_Thank goodness there are people like Yamazaki-kun in the world_, Tomoyo thought with a faint smile.

– – –

Far away, but not so far away, a figure leaned against the railing of an old bridge, his head tilted far back that he could actually see through his bangs. He wasn't sure how long he had been standing there nor did he plan on leaving any time soon. At this point, the hard wood of the railing had been a comfortable presence against his lower back. The black sky was riddled with smoky purple-grey clouds, successfully dulling the shine of the moon.

_Snowing again, huh?_

Touya held out his hand as snow floated from the sky. The moment the snow hit Touya's palm, it melted into a tiny bead. Touya stared at it for a good while until he clenched his hand close.

He had been having nightmares of the past, leaving him unable to sleep. This was not the first time nor would it be the last. It wasn't like Touya needed these memories to plague him in his sleep– he could pull them out of his head any time he wanted and point out every detail.

Why was it that these pieces of past were always coming back to him? Why is that every time he closed his eyes, he could see these memories so clearly?

-.-.-.-

"_She will be perfect."_

"_No. Don't do this, Kaho." Touya's voice was borderline frantic. It took his all to keep himself from shouting._

"_She is a blank slate. And she has grown strong, thanks to you."_

_The fists at Touya's side shook. "She... is not a blank slate," he said, gritting his teeth, trying not to refute her second statement, though it was true. "How can you say that? We've watched her grow, we're in her memories!"_

_Kaho stood tall, still steady, plowing through Touya's defenses. "She has nothing to lose."_

"_She has US!" Touya roared, finally snapping. "**We–** you included, are her family!!"_

_Unmoved by Touya's outburst, Kaho folded her arms. "You have seen her, Touya. Her eyes, when she is alone. That is all she will ever be."_

"_That's not true," Touya said quietly, looking away._

_But Kaho's words spoke truth. He had seen her, sitting alone months ago. It was a clear night, a full moon. Tomoyo sat on the railing of the bridge in the courtyard. Instead of looking at the moon in the sky, she stared at it's silvery reflection in the pond. Even with her head tilted and long hair curtaining her face, Touya could still clearly see her face. Her pale skin shone in the white light. And her eyes, though rimmed with tears, were empty. Devoid of emotion, like she was unaware of why her eyes were watering. Unaware that they were even watering._

"_She is not alone... She's just lost," Touya said firmly, now looking back at his superior with hard eyes. "She doesn't know what is worth living for. She doesn't know what to strive for."_

_Kaho's eyes almost softened. "And you can help her?"_

_Someone who is alone forever does not laugh like she does, Touya thought. People who are alone are not curious like she is. Her eyes may be empty... but they light up when she is around people. She is just scared, but she will not show it. She just needs someone to teach her that life is precious._

_Turning away to exit, Touya answered Kaho's question without looking back._

"_Yes, I can."_

-.-.-.-

Why was it that these pieces of past were always coming back to him?

Touya turned to find his reflection in the pond below. With barely any light, Touya only saw a shadow in black glass. Snow drifted into it, reunited with it's mother liquid form.

A tear fell, rippling the pristine smoothness of black.

Why was it that these pieces of past were always coming back to him?

Because as much as Touya liked to think that he had prevailed in many ways to help her

he had failed

to protect her

in

every

possible

way.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

aiii i've wanted to write this chapter for so long... took me long enough, no? eh heh. [well, i mainly wanted to write the spinel bit– i hinted at it all the way in second chapter!

thoughts, feelings, good food, suggestions! whatever you have for me is appreciated!

mata ne! tsugi no chaputa ni[see you in the next chapter!


	10. The Weight of the Sky

As per usual, thanks to those who reviewed! Haha so many people nagging me to update... i blame school. As always. I am never ever EVER taking another philosophy class. So not for me... anyways, say hello to chapter ten of mask of lies! Thanks again to all of you who encouraged me to continue!

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CHAPTER TEN: The Weight of the Sky

Tomoyo's vision was split into sky blue and yellow-green.

Sighing, Tomoyo reached out a hand, as if comparing it to the size of the sky. She shifted her hand slightly to the left. Her hands closed around one of the numerous bamboo leafs that fluttered in the light breeze. Tomoyo frowned as she opened her hand only to find that she had not captured a leaf, but air instead.

The young woman sighed again, dropping her arm back to her side. She was laying on her back along the palace walls, at the edge of the vast bamboo forest that lay to the north of the palace. Laying here, Tomoyo knew for sure that no one could see her. The tall bamboo also hid her very well from those who would look up from the ground.

The solid color of the sky and mass of bamboo was making Tomoyo dizzy so she sat up, letting her legs dangle over the edge of the wall. She sat facing the forest, trying to see past the stalks of yellow-green. She had been doing a lot of thinking, albeit a little too much, judging from how Tomoyo's head would ache. She had also had trouble sleeping the last couple nights, due to too many thoughts running through her head. (And more sleepless nights just meant more trips to the kitchen for Tomoyo. _I really need to kick that habit..._ Tomoyo thought with another sigh. From lack of training and keeping in shape, Tomoyo didn't want to risk slipping in any way. But the cooks really did know how to spoil her...)

She thought about the war that pitted China against Japan. It had gone on for as long as she could remember; Tomoyo was sure that it had started a little while after she was born. Tomoyo winced as she tried to think of a reasonable explanation behind the war. She winced again when she couldn't actually come up with one. It was all for show of power and Tomoyo felt pained to know that it was her home country that had started it. The Emperor of Japan declared the war by means of showing their neighboring countries that they were the dominant country. It was to expand the territories of Japan and rival China, the largest country of the Orient.

China held its defenses for a good sixteen or so years when Japan finally decided to send a peace treaty.

Her.

Tomoyo swung her legs, her bare heels knocking into the wall.

At the very beginning of the war, China had begged Japan to relent in it's unnecessary attacks and had tried for peace negotiations to no avail. Tomoyo wondered what Eriol's cousin looked like on his throne, trying to stop a senseless war. Tomoyo suppressed a giggle; surely he did not walk around his palace barefooted.

The war would be over, they said.

Though she was not allowed to think otherwise, Tomoyo found it untrue. She was sure that this would only be an explosion to an even greater war where two great powers would attack, one abandoning defenses and going in for the kill.

But the Emperor's word was law and Tomoyo would follow through.

She wasn't even supposed to be having these thoughts... right?

Tomoyo's head snapped up. The rustle of leaves tainted the air, but Tomoyo knelt and stood slowly, still listening.

Her clothes rippled with the breeze, grazing her skin. Tomoyo was wearing another outfit, a gift from the Emperor. Today it was a pair of wide, cropped, black trousers with a light emerald tunic, fashioned with a Mandarin collar. White silk thread off set a pattern of abstract swirls that seemed to resemble clouds or streams of air, perhaps even smoke. It was very simple and Tomoyo grinned appreciatively at how the green let her blend with her surroundings.

Listening for an extra second, Tomoyo nodded.

They had arrived.

Tomoyo looked from her left to her right, as if trying to predict their movements. She closed her eyes, thinking... And went to her left.

Sakura she wasn't too worried about. It was Syaoran that she had to be wary of.

Walking along the wall for a short two minutes, Tomoyo finally came to a stop and silently sat herself down.

"I'm surprised at how much the cooks gave us!" Sakura's voice said. "Oh, look... It's so pretty. We're being showered by leaves. I can see why you love it here so much, Syaoran-kun."

"It's really nice here when it's a little windy," came Syaoran's voice. Their voices were getting closer, but Tomoyo could hear that they had stopped moving and were setting up a picnic. They were a good ways from Tomoyo so all was safe. Leaves swirled around Tomoyo, one or two getting caught in her long hair that she had left loose to fly in the wind.

"Here, let me help you with that," Syaoran said. There was a slight 'thump' and 'clink' of what sounded like plates and cups.

"Thank you."

The light breeze had finally died and Tomoyo was surprised how much more Sakura and Syaoran's voices were amplified.

"I'm really glad we have these picnics, Syaoran-kun. It's so peaceful here... It reminds me of that bamboo forest with that waterfall that Hiiragizawa-ou took us to..." Sakura sort of drifted off with her last word, as if she had made the wrong comment.

Tomoyo mentally winced; she didn't want to be reminded of that place or more specifically, the event that happened there.

"Yes..." Syaoran said slowly. "That was an interesting day, was it not?"

"Yes," Sakura replied hesitantly. "It certainly was."

"How long have you known Princess Tomoyo, Sakura?"

Momentarily panicked, Tomoyo searched her memory, trying to see if Sakura had ever mentioned Syaoran taking an interest in her. Tomoyo had never nagged Sakura to share details of her conversations with Syaoran, but Tomoyo knew that if the weapon's master had ever asked suspicious questions, Sakura would tell her first thing.

"Since we were born." Sakura poured a cup of tea and handed it to Syaoran, who thanked her. "My mother was her mother's handmaiden. Though it was a little untraditional, her mother, the Empress, allowed the two of us to play together." Sakura took a sip of her own tea. A smile played with her lips. "She is like my sister."

"A very interesting relationship indeed. Untraditional for sure... Princess Tomoyo is quite unusual. I've never seen anyone move the way she does..." Syaoran speculated. "She seems to be very careful. And her reflexes are... incredible."

Sakura had the good grace to laugh. "You're making me jealous, Syao-kun! You speak about her with such high esteem!"

Tomoyo couldn't help but roll her eyes in good-naturedly.

"She has to be careful, you know. There have been quite a few attempts on her and her father's lives... The Emperor of Japan is a very careful man. He has raised Tomoyo to be equally so."

Syaoran did not question the lack of mentioning the Empress in Sakura's last statement.

The two started unpacking food and the smell wafted towards Tomoyo. (_No, no, no food. Listen first, food later._) While eating, the two chatted of all things, ranging from their picnic food, weather, Spinel's pet peeves (which mainly seemed to be Nakuru herself), Syaoran's favorite hobbies as a kid, and even Sakura's first crush.

They talked for who knows for how much longer. _How much food did they pack?_ Tomoyo mentally wailed, wanting very much to run to the kitchens for a red bean bun or something just as tasty.

Finally, what Tomoyo wanted to hear was said.

"Um... So, Sakura, what will you do after Hiiragizawa and Princess Tomoyo get married?"

"Well, I will stay here and remain her handmaiden," Sakura answered carefully. "I am sure that is what she would want."

"I see..."

There was a moment of silence, no doubt an awkward one at that.

"I mean, if she wanted to get someone new to her assist her, um, I don't mind!" Sakura said hurriedly. "I guess I would go back to Japan!" Tomoyo was sure that Sakura was very flustered and very pink in the cheeks; she was not wrong.

"Oh! I hope Princess Tomoyo decides to have you stay!" Syaoran said, at the same time, just as rushed. "That- that would be very nice! And I don't think that she would want a new handmaiden, I mean, I _hope_ that she doesn't want a new one! I mean..."

The two fell silent again.

Tomoyo's eyes fell. So she had not been wrong. And this would pose a problem and Tomoyo was unsure of how to go about it. Tomoyo knew she had been wrong to tease Sakura about her relationship with Syaoran, but Tomoyo had only meant it to be light hearted; she didn't know it would turn into this. Feeling that she had heard enough and that she had intruded long enough on Sakura and Syaoran's private picnic, she stood to leave.

"Who's there?!" cried Syaoran's voice.

Tomoyo froze; she was absolutely sure that she had made no noise. That or Syaoran really was too keen.

"Who's there?" Syaoran repeated, this time his voice a little more calm.

"Syaoran-kun? What's wrong?"

"I heard someone." There was a foreboding noise that sounded suspiciously like a sword being taken out of its sheath. "None of the guards come here during the day."

_He takes his sword with him on picnics?!_ Tomoyo thought, exasperated. _He holds too little faith in the palace guards..._

"It probably was just a bird, Syao-kun," Sakura said in a calm lilting voice. "Would you like some more tea?"

There was pause and Tomoyo stopped breathing. "Yes... Please," Syaoran replied.

Tomoyo did not wait for Syaoran's next move; she took off, her bare feet soundless upon the palace's fortress walls.

– – –

She stopped running after leaping off the wall, landing into one of the smaller eastern gardens.

It was all too much. Tomoyo knew it was a mistake to bring Sakura. Though, Tomoyo had not anticipated that Sakura would find someone to possibly fall in love with...

Fall in love with...?

Tomoyo shook her head violently. Whatever it was Sakura and Syaoran had going on, Tomoyo could not have foreseen it and it could have easily happened to whoever Kaho had assigned to accompany Tomoyo. She sighed and straightened from her half-crouch, seeing that the garden was empty.

She really needed to find some other things to occupy her mind or else she was going to go insane.

Passing Nakuru, Tomoyo paused to bow and the advisor did so in return, but she also seemed preoccupied; at the moment, she was dictating to one of her assistants about putting in an order to have five hundred paper lanterns made in all shades of red, orange, blue, and purple for the wedding. (Tomoyo winced at the announcement of that order before preceding down the hall.)

Lately, the bright eyed advisor had emersed herself in nothing but wedding planning. Of course, Tomoyo would rather have killed herself than partake in planning, but Tomoyo felt it necessary to offer. And to her relief, Nakuru had shooed her away and reassured her in the fondest way that Tomoyo would only be getting in the way.

Upon bursting into her room, Tomoyo was taken aback to see a visitor sitting on her bed.

"Hey, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo said pleasantly, covering her surprise expertly. She deftly closed her doors behind her without turning her back to her friend and didn't bother wondering how Sakura had made it so fast to her room.

Sakura stood, a small frown spread across her face. "Were you spying on us, Tomoyo-chan?"

Surprised with Sakura's straightforwardness, Tomoyo decided it best not to deny or feign confusion. "Yes, I was."

"Why?" Sakura's eyes looked confused and sad. "Why would you do that?"

"We... we need to talk, Sakura," Tomoyo said gently. "You know why I was there."

"No, I don't," Sakura shot back, now sounding angry. "What is it that we need to talk about?"

Tomoyo had been expecting this– and it wasn't going to be easy. "You know why you can't be too attached. We talked about this before... You'll just be even more hurt when we... leave. It could put us at risk. You even said it yourself– we've worked too hard for this."

Sakura's head hung. Finally she lifted her chin and the two friends locked eyes. "I know what I said. But that doesn't mean one can control their own feelings and emotions. Syaoran..." Emerald eyes wide, Tomoyo ached the longer she had to look at her friend. Suddenly, Sakura stood straighter. "I know what I'm doing. My feelings cannot be so easily changed. And I... I know it will hurt when we part, but I am prepared for that. Don't worry, I won't endanger your mission in any way or form. If you'll please excuse me."

Bowing slightly, Sakura swept past Tomoyo and out the doors.

Practically a statue, it took a second before Tomoyo blinked; she felt like Sakura had slapped her in the face. But mainly it was because Tomoyo felt a surge of jealousy from Sakura's words.

Because an assassin had no emotions.

-.-.-.-

_Tomoyo was staggeringly drunk._

_Her laughter was high-pitched and frequent._

"_Kampai!" chorused a group of deep and rowdy voices. There was another outburst of music and people continued to laugh, high-pitched giggles flitting in and out of the air._

_Tomoyo's arm was linked with her companion's and she leaned heavily into him, gazing adoringly at his face._

"_Oi, I can't drink properly if you keep leaning this way," the man said, looking down at Tomoyo with a slight frown. His words were slurred and his cheeks blazed a furious red. Tomoyo giggled and apologized. The man though pretending to look annoyed, grinned back at her and toyed with her hair before downing another cup of the houses best saké, spilling a little on his black hakama._

"_My lord," came a seedy (and of course, slurred) voice, "where did you find this girl? She is no doubt the most beautiful in this room... Though she looks to be half your age..."_

_The man looked at Tomoyo with hazy eyes, noticing her pink cheeks and the perfect shape of her lips. He couldn't quite remember where he had picked her up, let alone her name. Though true as it was, she _was_ the most beautiful..._

"_I stole her from the local brothel," the man replied with a lazy wave of his hand. "And age doesn't really matter, no?"_

_The two men laughed as Tomoyo blushed and hastened to refill their saké cups. Tomoyo's companion offered her a cup, that which she accepted eagerly._

_After a few minutes, Tomoyo leaned back into her companion. "I'm bored," she purred into his ear, her warm breath tickling the corner of his jawline. "May we go somewhere... say, more private?"_

_The two stumbled to their feet and Tomoyo nearly fell headlong into her companion, almost sending them tumbling back to the floor. This made Tomoyo succumb to another wave of giggles. Her companion gave in to boisterous laughter and the two leaned into each other for support as they exited the dining hall. Tomoyo swiped another half drunk bottle of alcohol._

_Staggering side to side in the hall, Tomoyo peaked into various rooms, only to find them all preoccupied with even more drunk people._

"_My lord," Tomoyo whined, "these rooms all have people. Do you not know of any room here where we can be alone?"_

_The lord shrugged, taking a swig from the bottle and passing it to Tomoyo. The two had been passing the bottle back and forth as they searched for an empty room._

_Sighing impatiently, Tomoyo dragged her companion up the stairs at the end of the hall. (Of course, the two had tremendous difficulty getting up each individual step, which, of course, invited even more laughter from the two. Any chance of getting away secretly would have been in vain if the whole house had not been filled with drunks.)_

"_Here!" Tomoyo cried triumphantly, sliding back the door to a relatively big room. "No one here to bother us..."_

"_Um... No, not here," the lord said, looking confused. He tried to find reason in his words for he knew somewhere in his alcohol drugged brain that this room was to be occupied later. "I think..." He swallowed, trying to form words. "There is supposed to be a gathering, of sorts... Other lords here together... Heard about it from another... Um..."_

"_But doesn't that just make it more exciting?" Tomoyo exclaimed, pushing the lord into the room. "We're risking getting caught..." Her lips slowly formed into a smile as she slid the door shut._

"_Right," the lord replied, not remembering what he was saying seconds before. "Exactly."_

"_Now..." Tomoyo stepped lightly towards her companion. "What do you feel like doing, my lord?" She fumbled with exaggerated slowness with untying the man's katana from his belt and dropped it on the floor, her eyes never leaving his face._

"_Well..." The lord licked his dry lips as Tomoyo was now playing with the ties of his hakama. "I think_–"

"_Oh, my lord, we've already run out of saké," Tomoyo whined again, taking the empty bottle into her hands. She stared comically into the opening, as if expecting more alcoholic goodness to drip out. "Would you be so kind and go get some? I would love to have some more."_

_The lord looked hesitant._

"_Come now, you don't want us to get thirsty, do you?" the girl cooed. She ran a finger along his cheek. "I'll be right here waiting..."_

"_I'll be right back," the lord said, quickly sliding the door open and shut again._

_Once he was gone, Tomoyo loosened the bow of her obi. It was tied in the front, thus easier for Tomoyo to let loose. She looked around the room, bored of its bland walls. She picked up the katana from the floor, absentmindedly playing with the thick cords that was used as a belt to hold the katana to the lord's side and hummed as she stumbled about for a bit until she came to a stop in the middle of the room._

_In a split second, the empty bottle was laying on the floor and Tomoyo had plunged the katana straight into the floor._

_Just as swiftly, Tomoyo pulled the katana out of the floor._

_The blade was glazed with blood._

_Tomoyo returned the blade to its scabbard and then promptly moved the bow of her obi to her back. Dropping the sword back on the floor, Tomoyo slid open the door to the balcony and scanned the dark streets below._

_She wasn't too worried about the body underneath the floor— he would soon be found and once he was, controversy and suspicion would be sparked. Spies were too predictable and war lords would behave as war lords knew how to behave best._

_A small scowl graced Tomoyo's porcelain face; the entire mission had been pointless. She knew just as well as Kaho that the war lords would have started their fighting soon enough. Well, the job was done and that was that._

_After closing the balcony doors behind her, Tomoyo gracefully swung from the rails of the platform and landed lightly, crouching on the streets. Her escort slipped from the shadows to join her (also graciously providing a pair of geta for her) and the two walked side by side away from the rambunctious hall._

_And Tomoyo reminded herself never to drink saké again._

-.-.-.-

Again, Tomoyo was making her ways down the halls, sweeping past passer-byers, only sparing a moment to nod at them as they paused to bow at her.

"_I know what I'm doing."_

Sakura's voice rang in Tomoyo's head, over and over again, even more potent than that of Nakuru's after all her wedding planning.

Excellent that Sakura knew what she was doing, at least she had that going for her. Confusion welled up inside of Tomoyo, unsure of why she was feeling so upset at that particular phrase.

Had _she_ ever known what she was doing?

Tomoyo winced, unsure, almost unwilling to answer that question. Ashamed of her own lack of free will even in the constraints of her own mind, she turned sharply at the end of the hall, stepping foot into a garden. Her breathing eased a little in her surroundings; she mentally thanked for the unnatural abundance of gardens in the palace. It was her only escape.

The breeze had picked back up and there was a chill to it.

Tomoyo glanced at the sky– it was still incredibly a bright, clear blue. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, still walking slowly through the garden. Though the chill raised goose bumps on her arms, the coolness did not bother her.

Directly ahead of her, Tomoyo spotted a stone bench. Arriving closer, Tomoyo was surprised to see that the bench sat underneath a familiar type of tree.

"Okaa-san..." Tomoyo breathed. A sad smile graced her lips. Ignoring the stone bench, Tomoyo opted to sit on the ground, behind the bench. Tomoyo leaned her head back gently against the tree's small trunk and pulled her knees to her chest.

– – –

Eriol sighed. He had spent the whole afternoon trying to trail Nakuru, desperately, _futilely_, trying to convince her to tone down her enthusiasm for planning the wedding. He knew that it was impossible to stop Nakuru once she got going on such a project, but he really had to try. If anyone knew extravagant, it was his advisor. But if the meaning of extravagance even extended to Spinel's birthday party last year, Eriol had to put his foot down. (He remembered painfully how Spinel was forced to parade around with a huge bow around his neck, an enormous bell dangling from the ribbon. Spinel would have been biting off heads had Meiling not had the smarts to rip the bell off.)

And if the palace household pet got to have a party with no less than fifty plates of various sweets, Eriol wasn't quite sure what would be showing up at the wedding, nor did he really want to know.

Extravagant indeed.

Sighing again, Eriol decided that it was just better to let Nakuru be, as per usual. Tomoyo, Eriol noted, had given up her desperate arguments early on. He smiled to himself; no doubt the princess learned fast.

He tenderly let his fingers run over the leaves of a tree that he was passing, as the breeze picked up again. Had he not a country to run, Eriol would have just been happy to be a gardener in the palace. Thankful that he had time to do both, the young Emperor smiled and walked onward. The grass beneath his feet felt cool, much like the palace floors, but unlike the stone floors, soft and free. Open-ended.

The Emperor passed through a long trail of trees, their branches swaying in the breeze. He paused every now and then to study the various plants, examining each one's growth. Passing a courtyard and emerging from a line of trees, Eriol came to a jerky, but soundless stop.

He had company.

Or rather, his company did not notice his presence, but he clearly was not alone.

Eriol stood frozen, mesmerized and unsure of what to do.

She was sitting next to the plum blossom tree, her knees pulled up to her chest, forehead resting upon her knees, face hidden. Tendrils of her hair floated gently in the breeze. Her arms were wrapped around her legs, hugging them tightly to her chest.

Eriol opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it.

As if this soundless gesture were a cue, Tomoyo lifted her head.

And the Emperor's breath caught.

Tomoyo looked straight at Eriol. Except she did not see him. She saw beyond him. Her eyes were brimmed with tears, ready to flow down her pristine cheeks. Her lips were slightly parted, as if words she wanted to speak were lost.

He couldn't move, legs rooted in the ground. Even if he could move, Eriol wasn't sure where he would go. He wasn't sure if he wanted to run away, or maybe just stay where he was. The person before his eyes was as captivating as she had been the day they first met.

Except it greatly disturbed him. He wanted to look away, but couldn't. He wanted to move away, but couldn't.

Those empty eyes continued to stare at him, petrifying him at his position.

The Emperor was unsure of what provoked him. Perhaps it was the chilly sensation he was feeling that had nothing to do with the breeze.

"Tomoyo..." he whispered, more to himself than to anyone else.

There was a gasp and Tomoyo's eyes widened, suddenly sharp and unhazy. "Hiira– Eriol!" Tomoyo exclaimed. She gasped again as she touched her fingers to the corner of her eyes, surprised to feel wetness there. Her eyes clouded with confusion.

She hastily moved to wipe away the tears when Eriol deftly caught her wrist. Tomoyo stared at him, startled at how fast he had moved, closing the great distance between them.

The Emperor's penetrating eyes stared at her, behind his delicately framed glasses.

"Don't," he said quietly.

The gaze held between the two was filled with a strange, practically physical tension. Tomoyo stared at Eriol, seeing him, searching for an answer. Her eyes were still watery, illuminating her eyes and her lips were still parted.

Unsure of what prompted him, but the young Emperor nodded and smiled softly.

And then the tears flowed, staining Tomoyo's porcelain skin, leaving behind a trail of unsaid words.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

... this... this ended the way i wanted it to and it ended the way i didn't want it to. i'm not too sure how i feel because it was and wasn't what i wanted. ... i think i'm just crazy though...

next update will depend on school workload. **please let me know how i did here and be honest!** [i don't mind flames— i've gotten a few before and to be quite honest, i find them quite hilarious! i really hope this chapter didn't seem filler-ish because it certainly wasn't meant to be. i waited a looooooooong time to write tomoyo's flashback— it was a part i wanted to write ever since i started this fic so i hope you enjoyed it! if anyone can identify what i based it on, you will receive a very nice... um... digital hug?


	11. One Sided Compromise

waaaaaah it has been toooooo long! at least i've been making bank at work, so that's good... right?

thanks to all those who read, reviewed, shared opinions and nagged me to update. cookies for you! here is chapter eleven, hope you enjoy! it went under heavy revision a couple times... but now i think i'm satisfied...

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CHAPTER ELEVEN: One Sided Compromise

The Royal Advisor to the Emperor of China was undoubtedly one thing for certain— she was the harbinger of doom.

At least, that was how Tomoyo saw the cheerful, bright-eyed as the days rapidly went by faster and faster... Too fast, in Tomoyo's opinion.

As the days went by, more and more people were rushing up and down the halls. With each day, Nakuru became more and more irritable and in the nicest, sweetest (albeit strangest) way.

And with each new day, Tomoyo debated her options.

Option number one mainly centered around hiding out in her room all day; Tomoyo did not approve.

Option number two meant Tomoyo could hide out in the gardens all day, to avoid Nakuru who had gotten to the "How do you plan on wearing your hair" stage. Except lingering in the gardens meant the _very_ increased chance of meeting the Emperor of China himself. Also known as the groom.

Option number three involved Tomoyo late at night with a single torch. She knew where most of the wedding day supplies were being kept... If there was an "accidental" fire, everything could be postponed... But this option was also impossible for Tomoyo couldn't help but feel guilty with all the stress Nakuru was putting upon herself.

Option number four: suicide. But Tomoyo _really_ didn't like that one.

Tomoyo exhaled deeply. She had taken to hiding in Syaoran's room lately. No doubt that if discovered by the weapon's master, she would have been skewered, princess or not. Hell, if she discovered, say, Meiling having a jolly old time in her room, she would most definitely have something to say.

But Tomoyo wasn't too worried; Syaoran rarely entered his bedroom except to sleep. She only had to worry if he suddenly decided to trapeze into his closet in the middle of the day.

Sighing again, Tomoyo stared wistfully at the light that streamed through the intricate holes that was carved through the doors. She snuggled her head against the wall, closing her eyes. Lately she preferred the dark. It was like her constant companion and she felt eerily comfortable with it. It allowed her to rest her eyes from the brightening days. Clouds began to be less gray and more birds were returning to the gardens.

It was pure tranquility to not have Nakuru fire her with questions. Sure, sure, Tomoyo could understand being asked for an opinion in regards to Sakura's garments, but when it came to what color each individual beads should be used for a hair piece, Tomoyo would have to draw a line. This was the kind of activity Sakura could handle; Tomoyo could handle it if she actually put her mind to it. And if she really wanted to. And obviously, she really didn't want to.

Things were going by too fast and it made Tomoyo wary. Kaho estimated that this mission would roughly take about a year... And Tomoyo had only been in China for almost over half a year. For a mission this big, half of year meant things moved too smoothly...

"FOUND YOU!!" cried a voice as the closet doors were wrenched open, barely leaving Tomoyo a moment to flinch.

"Wha—?!" Tomoyo cried, stumbling to stand. _I didn't sense__—__!_

"Princess, you mustn't be so shy about your wedding!" Nakuru bustled, as she yanked Tomoyo out of the closet. "I just _knew_ you were hiding somewhere!"

_What the _hell_ is it with the people in this palace?_! Tomoyo mentally wailed. Clearly everyone had abnormal powers; Syaoran had supersonic hearing, Eriol had teleporting skills, and Nakuru could apparently see through walls. Tomoyo wasn't too sure she wanted to know what Meiling's inhumanly skill was.

"Come, come, now," Nakuru cheerfully bristled, not even taking the time to question why Tomoyo was hiding in Syaoran's room, let alone his closet. "I have something very special to show you!"

"Is– is that so?" Tomoyo replied, nearly tripping over the hem of her kimono as the advisor dragged her earnestly through the halls.

"Yes, yes, YES! I am so excited, Princess, you have no idea!" Nakuru practically skipped down the hall, smoothly maneuvering through the people who passed.

"Yes, yes, yes," Tomoyo repeated, mumbling it absentmindedly. She was still pondering what other crazy powers this advisor could possibly have. _X-ray vision... a harmful amount of happiness... a ridiculous quantity of energy... _Tomoyo mentally listed.

"Here!" Nakuru banged open a heavy wooden door, her arm high in the arm, gesturing wildly.

In the exact center of the room were two very bright objects. To be more specific, they were very bright garments of clothing.

Blindingly white.

"Oh..." Tomoyo breathed. Unseen, Nakuru smiled and lead her slowly to more closely observe the garments.

The first one was a kimono where it hung from an elaborately carved rack that allowed the sleeves to hang untainted by the floor. It was made from what looked to be raw-silk; it was smooth and yet it had a matte quality that was beautiful without being flashy. Impossibly thin silver thread wove in and out of the silk in tiny patterns that even Tomoyo's keen eyes couldn't pick out. In heavier and thicker silver and white thread at the very center of the back, a crane was embroidered, it's body curved to form a semi-circle, the ends of it's body meeting the tips of a crescent moon opposite it. The perfect curves joined the two into the shape of a circle. The crescent moon wasn't solid; the designs inside of it painfully reminded Tomoyo of the moon pendant she had received from Sakura.

Tomoyo's hand reached out to touch the kimono, but she hesitated, as if scared to; Tomoyo was scared that if her hand made contact, the kimono would be tainted.

She suddenly remembered that the kimono was not the only thing standing in the center of the room.

Her eyes shifted slowly to the side and was equally blown away by what she saw.

It was dress that was clearly made from the same material as the kimono except it was plain white with no details woven in. The only detail it held was at the very top of the dress. It was of a single lotus blossom that spread the width of the dress. The lotus was embroidered with the same silver thread, with light green for the leaves, but the petals of the lotus were painstakingly tipped with a very pale pink thread that slowly faded to white. The dress was very long— it fell to the floor, barely sweeping it. The silk that fell towards the floor seemed to accumulate and Tomoyo could already envision what it was it was supposed to look like; it was supposed to flare out.

But Tomoyo noticed one crucial detail.

"Do you like them?" Nakuru asked in a gentle voice, that was like and unlike her voice.

"They are beautiful, Akizuki-sama..." Tomoyo breathed. But she looked at the advisor with a tiny frown. "But there's something wrong with this one." Tomoyo gestured toward the dress. "Where are the sleeves?"

Nakuru's laughter boomed through the room. "There aren't supposed to be sleeves, Princess!"

"Eh?!" Tomoyo's eyebrows shot up. "But—"

"This type of dress was worn long ago in China," Nakuru explained, looking thoughtful as she tapped her chin. "Typically it would be worn with a type of jacket with sleeves... But it was short in the front and open and the back would be as long as the dress. People don't wear this style anywhere... Too much of a hassle, I guess." Nakuru smiled at this thought. "I thought it would be perfect for you though. Or you can wear the kimono, if you like."

"I... I don't know." Tomoyo's face suddenly looked crestfallen.

"Well, try it on then!" the advisor cried, her loud cheerful voice reappearing. And before Tomoyo knew it, Nakuru had whipped the dress off its stand and with much protest, shouting, and tackling (from Nakuru's end) the dress was finally on it's designated wearer.

"It's perfect," Nakuru declared, satisfaction shining in her eyes.

Tomoyo felt strangely exposed, having her arms, shoulders and half of her upper chest uncovered by cloth. And she felt a little cold, for that matter.

There was a knock at the door which Nakuru hurried to answer. There was some hasty whispering and an exasperated sigh from the advisor. "I need to sort out some problems with decorations, Princess, I'll be back in a second!" she called to Tomoyo. Without another word, she pulled the heavy door behind her shut.

The sound of the door shutting vibrated through the room, almost shaking the floor. When it stopped, Tomoyo slowly turned back around. She suddenly remembered that she had been holding her breath while the dress had been on her.

She noticed a mirror in the corner of the room and walked very slowly towards it. The fabric made no sound of rustling as Tomoyo walked; it was so fluid and perfect. She stopped a few feet from the mirror, not believing her own reflection.

The dress was snug around her chest, the lotus subtly spread across her breasts, and from there down the dress still hugged her curves perfectly until it reached mid-thigh where its hold on Tomoyo's skin slackened and flowed more loosely all the way past the floor. Her pale skin was illuminated even more by the white of the silk.

It was too perfect.

How could she look at a future that could never be?

Tomoyo stared at her reflection, watching herself slowly blink, her face blank, unreadable.

_I can't even read myself..._

And without warning, Tomoyo crumpled to her knees, face in her hands, silent weeping, marring the bright day that the sun promised.

-- -- --

The smell was in the air, Tomoyo could tell. The calender clearly stated it, but from the smell the wind carried, Tomoyo knew.

Spring was almost near.

A light fragrance entwined with the wind that opposed the fresh chill of the winter winds.

Not only that, Tomoyo nearly had to squint just to see properly. The sun was practically burning holes through her skull.

_Such odd weather..._ Tomoyo thought to herself, allowing a small smile to pass her lips.

When Nakuru had returned, she found Tomoyo standing at the mirror, staring at her reflection. There were no trace of tears, not even a red nose. Tomoyo had politely told the advisor that she would be honored to wear the dress for the wedding and inquired if the advisor herself had designed both dress and kimono. When Nakuru said that she had, Tomoyo, conveyed her amazement in a quiet voice and promptly dressed back into her kimono.

And now she was here.

Again, she found herself in a palace garden. The huge palace seemed to have an abundance of those. But this one Tomoyo had found by accident— it was smaller than most of the others so it was easily overlooked.

It was hidden by a moon gate in one of the walls and the entrance was cleverly hidden by a beautiful, yet a rather abstract looking tree. The garden was incredibly simple and in the very center was a clear pond with a red bridge that curved exactly over the pond's center. The pond itself housed lotuses that were ready to bloom, some tipped with pink and others pure white.

How ironic that she would find these lilies after seeing one in exact likeness on her own wedding dress.

Tomoyo wondered what Sakura was up to— after their confrontation, Sakura tended to avoid her friend. She would wake up in the morning to help her dress, make polite small talk, and immediately disappear. Tomoyo missed her dreadfully but decided it was best to leave her be. She didn't want to intrude anymore. She should be thinking about other things...

"Tomoyo?"

Mentally sighing, Tomoyo had been prepared for this; of course, anywhere she went, the Emperor would show up. That, of course, was his strange ability.

"Hello, Eriol," Tomoyo said pleasantly, turning to face the Emperor. She was surprised to see that _he_ looked pretty surprised by her presence. "Is something wrong?"

"No, not at all," the Emperor shook his head hastily as he smiled. "I didn't expect to see you here. Normally no one comes here except for Nakuru."

"Akizuki-sama?" Tomoyo asked. "Why is that?"

With a small tilt of his head, the Emperor shot Tomoyo another smile. "Because this is her garden."

Ah, it really did make sense then, to have a lotus blossom on her dress that Nakuru had designed herself. Tomoyo smiled appreciatively. "I see. She is very lucky then. It's incredibly serene here."

"That it is. May I join you?"

Tomoyo bowed her head with a smile and gestured her side with a small wave of her hand. The Emperor's steps onto the bridge were silent and one could barely hear the tiny creaks the bridge made. And of course, as also, he was barefoot.

Big surprise.

The Emperor leaned back against the railing, his arms propped up on the wood, supporting his weight. The way he did his reminded Tomoyo strongly of Touya; she smiled at the familiarity of this pose.

"Speaking of Nakuru, she hasn't been hassling you very much, has she?" Eriol asked with slight concern, though his dark eyes twinkled behind his lenses.

_No, it's been absolutely wonderful, Hiiragizawa-ou. Your advisor just happens to be able to see through walls and makes the most beautiful dresses that in fact made me burst out crying. What other hidden surprises can she bring out? _Tomoyo thought a bit sardonically. (Tomoyo also made a mental note to stop being too sarcastic— it was stressing her out.) _Hassling me, oh,_ no_, she really hasn't... Would it interest you to know how many possible ways I can do my hair? Akizuki-sama is quite incredible when it comes to such aspects..._

Tomoyo was going to smile and open her mouth to say that everything was fine.

But what came out was a small exasperated sigh that sent the Emperor into convulsions of laughter.

Before Tomoyo could even rectify her mistake, she marveled at the way the Emperor laughed so openly.

"I know what you mean," Eriol managed to say as his laughter started to subside. "Nakuru is too extravagant, I tell you. I've had to live with it for years, on or off the throne. She is incredible."

"I would agree with that in all aspects," Tomoyo replied with a truthful smile. A sense of strange calm washed over her and she only just realized the reason for it. _He's always so open... Does he have no secrets to hide?_

"I'll be glad when this wedding is over," Eriol went on, as he went back to leaning against the railing, this time folding his arms. "Then Nakuru can just go back to picking on Spinel." The Emperor chuckled, his eyes directed to the floor of the bridge, his eyes remembering an old joke.

When he looked up, he found Tomoyo watching him with a neutral face, neither smiling nor frowning. It just watched him intently, as if studying him. It was almost curious, but her eyes conveyed a mysterious sensation of melancholy. It was strange because it wasn't pure sadness that her eyes exuded and it wasn't the empty look Tomoyo wore when he had found her crying; Eriol couldn't place it.

With a slight frown, Eriol stood. "Are you alright, Tomoyo?"

"Hmm?" Tomoyo hadn't been aware that there was something wrong.

The expression of sudden understanding crossed Eriol's face and he wore a kind smile. "Tomoyo..." he started softly. "I know... I know that ideally, marriage first comes from love and for you to be thrust into this situation... Forced to marry someone you barely know..."

Now Tomoyo really was confused. She really hadn't thought about that at all. As far as the wedding was concerned, she just knew that it wouldn't be happening, but not because she had objections to who she was supposed to be marrying.

But as she was about to open her mouth to protest, she stopped herself. The Emperor had discreetly taken her hand in his. And he was still talking.

"So it's natural to be a little nervous..." At this, Eriol chuckled, his eyes shifting to the side. He looked back directly into Tomoyo's eyes. She was faintly aware that his thumb was tenderly drawing circles into her palm; it was unusually comforting.

"Let's try and make this work," he said quietly.

All Tomoyo could manage was to nod mutely. If she hadn't her composure, her jaw would have been dropped, taken aback by the Emperor's short speech. And there was the intensity of his last line.

_Let's try and make this work._

He was watching her steadily, his smile sensitive and almost encouraging.

Tomoyo nodded again for that was all she could bring herself to do.

-- -- --

Back in the comfort of her own room, Tomoyo closed the door behind her sharply.

Well, in her room, she was supposed to be comforted, relaxed, at ease in her safe haven.

Except she wasn't.

Tomoyo walked briskly to her wardrobe, yet another beautiful gift from the Emperor. Intricately engraved wood, the handles were two interlocking phoenixes, details all the way down to the feathers. Tomoyo threw open the doors and reached deep into the back where she pulled out a long thin chest. She barely had time to inhale before she snapped open the secret compartment at the bottom.

Without thinking, Tomoyo plunged her hand into the compartment, pulling out the silk-wrapped package that Touya had given her on the snowy night of her departure; Tomoyo refused to believe that it was only months ago.

The slippery silk felt cold to her skin, nothing like the silk of the dress she wore earlier. Her breath caught and she froze.

_No emotions... Remember?_

With a rather steady hand, Tomoyo unwrapped the package slowly. Her movements defied her; her forced, steady breathing would have been a dead giveaway.

After shedding through two layers of silk, Tomoyo stopped and reached within the folds. When her fingers brushed a smooth hard surface that was as cold as the silk, Tomoyo suddenly felt as if she were complete. A strange comfort flooded her, like the diverting moments when she was with the Emperor...

In Tomoyo's left hand was still the silk wrapped package while in her right hand was a short katana, much like a longer dagger. The cloth that wrapped around the hilt was worn in and frayed and still characteristically fresh. The sheath was a shiny black, lacquer that covered the bone white wood. The only evidence of the true color of the sheath was a simple crescent moon that was carved at the very top, near the edge of the hilt.

Tomoyo looked at the sheathed weapon with sad and longing eyes. She closed her bright orbs and pressed the dagger to her chest.

"_Hisashiburi desu ne..._" she whispered.

Slowly opening her eyes, Tomoyo looked out her window. She gauged the time from the position of the sun and sighed. With hurried movements, she carefully replaced the un-open portion of her package and shoved it back into the depths of the wardrobe. She also tucked the dagger securely into the side of her obi.

Her contact should be in the town market for the next couple minutes.

Standing tall, Tomoyo strode out of her room with the dying sun at her back.

It was time.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

_hisashiburi desu ne_: it's been a long time, long time no see, etc. phrases of the like. but obviously people normally say it to other human beings haha...

don't ask me why a good bundle of my chapters include a random scene and then a garden scene... i think i'm just crazy... well, actually, ever since i took that landscape architecture class at school and with all the beautiful slides of all these gardens my prof showed us of he's been to from all around the world and i find the art of it fascinating. so please excuse my obsession with it –big smile– i guess it also helps to remember that tomoyo is pretty much confined in the palace...

comments, suggestions, cookies?


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